We drove from Philly about an hour and 45 minutes and dropped the canoe in the water from a convenient parking area we saw from the satellite view. The rest was a breeze. Â We enjoyed the cool water and a proliferation of plants and trees along the shorelines, including blooming Cranberries, Swamp Azaleas, Pitcher plants and sundews. The air was an enchanting fresh mix of the scents from the Azaleas, the waters and the trees.
The blueberries pictured below, we ate them and they were bursting with flavor. If you want to taste a place, this is the way to do it.
Below, the blooming Cranberry Bushes.
And, below, the Pitcher Plant, blooming away.
And the sundews, below.
We slowly canoed along the edge of the lake, botanizing and birding as well as picnicking. It is a beautiful place and we wanted to take it all in, plant by plant, view by view. The evening light just got better and better!
Above and below, a field of Pitcher plants, as far as the eye could see! What a magnificent and memorable sight! Our slow meandering canoe ride has  its benefits!
Above, last year’s pitcher plant dried up and preserved.
The Rose Pogonia, (Pogonia ophioglossoides), above
The Sheep Laurel, above.
The Swamp Azalea, Rhododendren viscosum, blooming away! (above and below)
We have purchased this June Blooming shrub for our yard, but have never been able to get it to bloom as magnificently as it is doing here!
Oswego Lake is truly an exquisite destination in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey!
The Atlantic White Cedar, growing along the shorelines of the lake.
