Clouds of Forget-Me-Nots in the Wild Apple Farm woods    Photos by Linda

I don’t recall ever seeing so many of those pretty little flowers known as Forget-Me-Nots, especially in the woods here in Hope Ness. But the “wow” factor was particularly intense at nearby Wild Apple Farm where my friend Linda paused to prepare me for the sight as we were about to enter the virtual wonderland of her trail through the wild-apple woods.

Then suddenly the sight of clouds of Forget-Me-Nots stopped me in my track. There they were, wherever the sun was able to reach the forest floor through the leaves and blossoms still in the process of emerging.

The “entrance” to the Wild Apple Farm Trail

“Wow,” I said, turning to her.

“Wow indeed,” she replied.

It was magical, and destined to be fleeting as the trees fill out with their seasonal foliage; it’s why such short-lived flowers were named “ephemerals” many years ago by a horticulturalist with a poetic spirit.

My advice: if you happen to be anywhere near the Bruce Peninsula and its Bruce Trail sections, like right here in Hope Ness, go for a walk in the woods as soon as possible. I have a hunch we may not see the like again of this extraordinary floral phenomenon for a long time.

And if you’re in the Hope Bay Forest, take the fork in the trail that leads to the look-out from the Niagara Escarpment cliffs overlooking Georgian Bay.