Back from Canada

Hello everyone,

I'm back from two weeks of fossil hunting in New Brunswick and Quebec.

Observations on irises:  In northern New Brunswick as of June 20, the TB
season had not yet begun, but intermediates were seen in bloom.  The
weather was cool and a long, cold spring was reported.  Tulips were just
starting to decline.  There were good bud stalks on TBs, and by the time we
were on our way back from Gaspe through northern Maine, the TB season
seemed well underway.  As far south as Bangor, it appeared to be somewhat
past its peak.  Iris versicolor was observed in bloom in wet meadows along
the Aroostook River.  Here and there I saw plantings (none naturalized) of
I. pseudacorus.  Portland, Maine, was having days in the nineties when I
arrived at the airport.

Of course here in central Virginia it has been hot, hot, hot and dry, dry,
dry.  I can't recommend leaving your garden for two weeks under such
conditions.  Noelle did her best and probably saved many plants, but I
didn't really give her the instructions she needed and time was short.  A
complete lack of rain for those two weeks was not anticipated.  Some rain
fell two days ago, but not enough to alleviate the dry conditions.  Irises
don't look very good and the hemerocallis were badly hit by a combination
of drought and a thrips infestation (which I should have caught much
earlier).

I'll be back online for about a week, then off again until around August
10th for trips to Scotland and New Hampshire.

Glad to be back and looking forward to catching up with all of you!

Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@tiger.hsc.edu>
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