While walking a section of the
National Ice Age Trail which runs very close to the Gardens at Waters East, there is a place where the Bottle Gentiana
can be found. The area of the
plants has been increasing each of the last five years. Presently the Gentiana stretches along
the walking path of the National Ice Age Trail for about eighty-five feet (25
meters). Not a large area but
still enough of an area to make any hiker on the trail happy to find them
growing wild - and - so near to the Gardens
at Waters East.
Bottle Gentian has deep blue
flowers that never actually open, giving them their bottle-like
appearance. These flowers are
pollinated exclusively by bumblebees, which are strong enough to pry open the
flowers to gain entry into the inner sanctum. Once inside, the bumblebees find a rich source of pollen and
nectar. This is an example of a
mutual association – the bees benefit by having exclusive access to a bountiful
nectar supply, and the plants benefit by attracting “loyal” pollinators that
improve the chances for cross pollination. This characteristic excludes smaller insects, that are less
efficient at pollination, from robbing nectar and pollen from the bumblebees.
The plants grow from one – two
feet tall with multiple stems emerging from a taproot. The mature flowers look
like large buds ranging in length form 1-1/2 inches. Here near Lake Michigan they bloom from late August into the
late September. This is all part
of the important watershed that embraces the Gardens at Waters East.
as September progresses - darker colors
In this very same area of the
trail there are three old historic steam engine boilers used as culverts
directing water from one side of the path to the other. This kind of wet area is just what the
Bottle Gentian need to survive. I
know the photo is difficult to read, so I have type the information here so you
can benefit from another interesting aspect so near the Gardens at Waters East.
The stream, underneath the trail
on which you stand, runs through an interesting piece of history. The bridge that supports the trail is
actually an old steam boiler.
These boilers were used in steam engines to create the power needed to
move the giant machines.
Specifically, water was held in the boiler and wood or coal would be
burned beneath it in order to create steam. The energy produced by this reaction would create pressure,
and when released, it would crank the pistons, which in turn, would move the
wheels. When the engines
became obsolete the company would dismantle them for replacement parts. Many such boilers were used to create
an instant immovable pillar to span low drainage points and small streams. Thus, old railroad boilers were able to
create quick bridges with present day antiques.
old steam engine boiler
used as culvert
Hope you enjoyed a
favorite flower.
NOTE: Since this Blog is meant to be an
accurate journal of the gardens
and the watershed area surrounding the
gardens;
no photos are
“staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.
What is posted
– is what it here. It is what it
is.