Alberta's Premier Hiking Trail
The Waskahegan Trail is a unique resource that exists only because of the generosity of landowners. Before you set foot on the trail:
Seven came out to clear the 3 km orphan section of the Mix-Cloverlawn trail.
We used chainsaws, mower, hammer and shingles, signs, and clippers.
It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we appreciated the morning coolness that lingers longer now.
The cranberries are ripening and the bees and wasps are still active.
We are happy to report that the stopover cabin is in great shape.
The people coming to the barbecue on Sunday will have a pleasant hike.
There are more photos on Flickr
Wild White Geranium (Geranium richardsonii) is a perennial, 40–80 cm tall, easily recognizable as a geranium by its FIVE main but up to seven irregularly lobed and “deeply divided, lightly hairy leaves” (Parish 263, Gadd 291).
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This species of the Geranium family “was named for Sir John Richardson (1787–1865), the Scottish botanist assigned to Sir John Franklin’s expedition to Arctic America” (Parish 263).
As with other geraniums, each flower has FIVE petals that are quite hairy at their base (centre of the flower) where there are FIVE generally bristle-tipped sepals. The petals are white but may be pinkish, and may also have pink or purplish insect-guiding lines to the centre.
Sources:
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Found in late June along the Pipestone Creek trail, in airy, open aspen and poplar groves. The Wild White Geranium prefers dry rather than moist conditions.
Later in the season, you might see the FIVE parted seed capsules with long beaks shaped like a crane’s bill (Parish 263). The number FIVE seems to be a good identifying feature for this plant; check tame geranium plants in gardens and flower pots for comparison.
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