Kip’s Comments - September 15, 2022

Fen Walk 2022

As many years as I can I try to take a “fen walk.” Fens are very wet soils (peat) that can be so wet the ground moves when you walk on it. Since the ground is saturated, the soil is near chemical neutral and only certain plants thrive in a fen environment. Those plants then tend to be rather uncommon to rare in status. The two uncommon plant species I was hoping to find today were the fringed gentian and the grass of Parnassus.     

Soon into my fen walk I realized this year the fen was more wet than some years. Thankfully I had knee boots on that allowed me to step where I wanted (most of the time) without getting wet. However, when I knelt down on a knee for photos, I did get wet. Most years I stay dry when I kneel.   

Conditions this year must have been ideal for the fen since fringed gentians and grass of Parnassus – along with many other plant species – seemed to be doing very well.     

While exploring the fen I recorded a video of my outing. In it I share some wildflower photography tips and some of the many images recorded. View the video at this link:

Wildflower Photography - A Walk in a Fen

Following is a sampling of images from my fen walk.