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.
This sounds interesting. Were there many other people paddling about? Was it crowded?
Were the bugs very bad, like gnats or flies? How about mosquitoes?
Could you hear hunters firing their guns?
Mark, there were a few others paddling about specifically a couple who appeared to of been to Oswego Lake many times and had taken upon themselves in an activist role, removing garbage and monitoring the other species going on there including humans. There were some humans that had found themselves upside down in their kayak and a case of empty beer cans was found floating next to the kayak in which this couple removed the beer cans and helped to upright the kayak and get it’s human on solid ground. As far as mosquitoes go there were none that we noticed. Perhaps this frogs were doing their job and getting rid of any that came up it was odd especially that we were there right during the evening hours. There were no other pests or bugs or anything like that there was even a Gentle breeze it was truly an enjoyable canoe ride! We did bring a bug repellent in case there was a problem and we also wore hats to avoid the sun beating down.