What’s growing along the shores of Witches Lake?
Blueberry bush.
- Maybe lowbush blueberry? Flowers in late spring, bears fruit shortly after.
Bush honeysuckle?
- A mystery shrub that looks more like the native bush honeysuckle rather than the invasive kind.
Eastern bracken fern.
- The most common fern in Wisconsin.
Hazelnut shrub.
- They love sandy soils.
- Probably “beaked hazelnut.” Nuts mature in July/August.
Iris.
- The good iris–if it’s purple–or the bad iris--if it’s yellow?
Wintergreen.
- They’re Wisconsin pollinators.
- Subtle, fragrant blooms early to mid-summer, followed by red berries that persist (if the birds don’t eat them) through winter.
False Solomon’s seal.
Snakeberry? (L. Maianthemum dilatatum)
- AKA two-leaved Solomon’s seal, false lily of the valley
? Wild Sarsaparilla (L. Aralia nudicaulis)
- In the ginseng family. A relation to the desirable ginseng.
Fauna of Arbor Vitae
Hanging out on Witches Lake.
