Blue Hills in June

Photos taken on the eastern half of the Blue Hills Skyline Trail in Quincy, MA on June 21, 2008.

At its eastern end, the Skyline Trail passes between the St. Moritz ponds. Very froggy-looking! I heard the sounds of frogs but did not see them.

These blue spike flowers are pickerelweed. They were growing in the muck and shallow water at the edge of the ponds.

Another shot of the pickerelweed flowers.

The water lilies were anchored farther out in the pond.

There were pink water lilies as well as white ones.

Lots and lots of lily pads, like a Monet painting. Ah, what froggy bliss.

This is the best close-up shot I could get of a water lily without diving into the pond.

Leaving the ponds, the trail quickly climbs up into the rocky hills, where you get this view looking northward to the Boston skyline.

Wildflower season is pretty much over by now, but there were still pink corydalises growing on the sunny rocks.

I also found some spreading dogbane.

These yellow flowers are whorled loosestrife. They have an interesting symmetry.

This is blue toadflax. These are an instance of what's called an indeterminate inflorescence, meaning that the stalks keep growing and sprouting new flowers at the end; by this point in the summer, these stalks were growing quite tall.

Here's a shot of the trail heading up one of the many hills. Although here there is a neat stone staircase, other sections of the Skyline Trail are extremely steep and rough, and you have to scramble up or down an exposed rock face or rock-filled gully any which way you can without killing yourself in the process!

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	At its eastern end, the Skyline Trail passes between the St. Moritz ponds. Very froggy-looking! I heard the sounds of frogs but did not see them.
	These blue spike flowers are pickerelweed. They were growing in the muck and shallow water at the edge of the ponds.
	Another shot of the pickerelweed flowers.
	The water lilies were anchored farther out in the pond.
	There were pink water lilies as well as white ones.
	Lots and lots of lily pads, like a Monet painting. Ah, what froggy bliss.
	This is the best close-up shot I could get of a water lily without diving into the pond.
	Leaving the ponds, the trail quickly climbs up into the rocky hills, where you get this view looking northward to the Boston skyline.
	Wildflower season is pretty much over by now, but there were still pink corydalises growing on the sunny rocks.
	I also found some spreading dogbane.
	These yellow flowers are whorled loosestrife. They have an interesting symmetry.
	This is blue toadflax. These are an instance of what's called an indeterminate inflorescence, meaning that the stalks keep growing and sprouting new flowers at the end; by this point in the summer, these stalks were growing quite tall.
	Here's a shot of the trail heading up one of the many hills. Although here there is a neat stone staircase, other sections of the Skyline Trail are extremely steep and rough, and you have to scramble up or down an exposed rock face or rock-filled gully any which way you can without killing yourself in the process!