If you’re hiking in the woods, look for the waxy white Indian Pipe wildflowers that are blooming in clusters. They have a whitish, waxy, scaly stalk with nodding waxy bell-shaped flowers. Indian Pipe does not have any chlorophyll so its nutrients come from decaying matter, thus they thrive on the forest floor.
Indian Pipe grows to 4-10″ with 1” flowers from July to September. I have been looking for them for a while and only have seen them the past week.
Have you ever seen Indian Pipe wildflowers? So unique, don’t you think?
This little Catbird was singing away on the Red Maple Swamp Trail at Fort Hill on Cape Cod. We could see him through the bushes in the distance, perched on the branch.
He looks like a young one with his fluffy feathers, don’t you think? So cute!
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has so much to do for the entire family. Inside the visitors center is a small museum with lots of educational material. The kids will love the fish and turtles in the tanks. They might even see a Wild Turkey outside the huge windows.
Outside there are walks and hikes through the woods and out to the beach. There are lots of birds and wildflowers and butterflies. And, when you get to the beach, there is an awesome boardwalk that you can walk over to get to the beach.
On the boardwalk the kids can see all of the Fiddler Crabs which they just love as they scurry in and out of their little holes in the marsh.
Put the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on your list when you visit. So much fun and so much to see!
It was a gorgeous evening for a walk at Fort Hill to Hemenway Landing. I sat on the bench for a bit just enjoying the view of Nauset Marsh. I was surprised at all the boats anchored in the water and on shore.
Sweet Pepperbush is a tall, leafy shrub which grows near coastal wetlands or swamps, which is why I’ve seen it on the Red Maple Swamp Trail at Fort Hill and the Spring Loop Trail at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. It is powerfully scented, so you can’t miss it!
The white flowers are 1/3″ with 5 petals and 10 long stamens on 8″ upright spikes. You can see a close-up of the spikes and a photograph of the entire shrub in the 2 blog photographs.
They are really pretty. Have you ever seen a Sweet Pepperbush?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
