Huron Fringe Field Naturalists hear about quest to document wild orchids

The Huron Fringe Field Naturalists welcomed Audrey Armstrong and Willy Waterton to speak about their quest to find and document wild orchids, at the April 23 meeting.

Both members of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) club, this husband-and-wife team took on the challenge in 2021 of updating the OSFN guide to "Orchids in Bruce and Grey counties." Their two-year pursuit entailed nearly 7,000 kilometres of travel by car, foot, canoe and boat, 178 hours in the field, with more than 4,000 photographs taken.

Following hundreds of hours of editing and research, the end result is a magnificent guidebook filled with exquisite photos and detailed descriptions of each species and its habitat, updated Latin and common names, and more.

Taking turns, the couple delighted the audience with engaging stories of this pursuit of orchids in mundane locations, from roadside ditches in variable weather conditions to remote locations requiring arduous canoe treks and encounters with fearsome wildlife.

Orchids are highly-specialized and sensitive to their environment, requiring precise growing conditions. In describing threats to orchids, such as poaching and habitat loss due to development, Waterton also referred to climate change. Changes to rainfall and temperature patterns may make it more difficult for some orchid species to survive.

Huron Fringe Field Naturalists members were appreciative of the striking photos and anecdotal descriptions and were surprised to learn that Bruce and Grey counties are home to 49 of the 63 orchid species found in Canada. Many members took advantage of the opportunity to acquire the new guidebook. It may also be ordered from the OSFN website: owensoundfieldnaturalists.ca/product/orchids-of-bruce-grey.

In other club business, Michele Gade made a passionate presentation to members, inviting them to join her campaign to remove the invasive species, garlic mustard, from Geddes Park. She has teamed up with the Municipality of Kincardine to organize work parties every Wednesday afternoon, from 2–4 p.m., now until the end of May. Volunteers will pull the plants and deposit them in garbage bags which will be collected by municipal staff and destroyed. All are welcome to participate.

Interest is high in the annual Bruce Peninsula Explorer Trip which takes place following the Victoria Day long weekend. Information packages are being compiled and distributed for this multi-day adventure involving tours, hikes, communal meals and nature discovery.

The next meeting is the annual dinner meeting at Camp Kintail, May 28. Guest presenter Adam Shoalts has generated a great deal of interest and tickets sales have now closed.

The final regular meeting before the summer break, will be June 25 in Point Clark. Guest Don Scallen will be speaking about salamanders. Visitors and guests are welcome and inquiries may be made to christineroberts153@gmail.com.