Black gum Bell Cedar edge

On my various treks into the Bell Cedar Swamp, this was my objective: the zone where the land uneasily meets the water... the habitat where the Atlantic White Cedars grade into a sunny bog before becoming Spalding Pond. In that waterlogged intermediate zone, the blueberry blossoms are supposed to attract the CT-endangered Hessel's Hairstreak butterflies and, on the sun-dappled open places on the bog mat, the also state-endangered Banded Boghaunter dragonflies are supposed to rest and court. So far, I haven't been able to find this mythical place, but a few days ago, my friend David Wagner and colleague Jim Cowen, a crackerjack wetlands botanist, spotted, on a satellite map, what they thought was a perfect area to explore. This time, we opted for a canoe assault. Late-opening Black Gum trees welcomed us to the quaking bog, and Jim and I had a fine time walking on, and occasionally falling through, the floating vegetation. The two scientists were absolutely correct about the rightness of the habitat. The endangered species, alas, were looking at a different map. Maybe next year they'll be more cooperative.