blooms from York to Scotchfort

My bike just had a tune-up, and I decided to test it out.  So I rode the 2 km to the Confederation Trail, and cycled on and on through fields and woods.  I saw robins, red-winged blackbirds, gold finches, and I heard many more.  And the wild flowers are in full force.

Within 6 weeks, these white blackberry flowers will morph into lucious fruit on prickly stems 

that will make me work hard to pick every berry.

Bunchberry flowers will produce fiery orange berries that are not edible to us humans.

These big balls of fluff look like giant dandelions.

The forest opens to reveal a bog of blueberries and other plants.

In the bog is another type of fuzzy seed head held high above grassy leaves.

 A fragrant wild rose along the path.

Blue flag iris in the bog.

A huge variety of ferns grow in the shade of trees along the trail.  

This is cinnamon fern (note brown fronds),

This fern seems to like more sun.

Delicate feathery ferns lead to a resting spot along the trail.  

Now if only the mosquitoes would lay off when I get off my bike!

This looks like a type of wild azalea. 

Grayish-white lichen carpets a small section along the trail.  

I've never seen this plant anywhere else.

2 km from my house is where I get to the trail, where I start at km 183.  This is near km 200, a beautiful way to end the trip, with a view of the Hillsborough River.  Now all I have to do is cycle back 20 km.  Oh - my poor legs, and my poorer seat!  This is going to hurt for a while.

 On the exhausting way back, I stopped to pick a few wild strawberries, and a tiny bright butterfly landed on my thumb.  As I looked at it closely, it seemed to be sucking up the salty sweat on my finger.  It stayed on my finger for a long time, and I struggled to take pictures of it with one hand. When the mosquitoes became impossible to bear, I finally gently shook it off, and it flew right back and landed on my thumb again.

I finally convinced my friend to check out the wild strawberries.

During my 4 hours on a sunny perfect day, I met only one other person using this trail.

We Islanders don't know how lucky we are here on PEI to enjoythis beautiful, free way to enjoy nature.  I hope more people get out and discover the beauty all around us.