At Badger Lake
Badger Lake lies on the forested plateau north of Knouff Lake. the road can be a bit bumpy and long to the Rec Site, but it is always worth it. Badger Lake is a fine spot to camp, fish, paddle, or explore. I parked at the boat launch, then kayaked around the lake. One of the features of Badger Lake is the marshy lakes on the west side, sometimes called Spooney Lake. By mid-summer, aquatics plants start to fill the shallow bays and shoreline areas. On this day I was pleased to observe aquatic plants – marsh skullcap (Scutellaria galericulata), arumleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria cuneata), bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris), smartweed (Persicaria amphibia), and bur-reed (Sparganium americanum).
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On the way back, I stopped when I spotted flowering plants and pollinators, returning by the Orchard Lake Road. A few are shared here – red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa), baneberry (Actaea rubra), twisted stalk (Steptopus amplexifolius), a field comma (Polygonia sp.), columbine (Aquilegia sp.), and birds-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatis).
