2. Summer or Wood Duck (Sycamore

Fig. 10. The patterned bark is visible only on the tree's base, upper branches, and roots. If you walk toward the waterfall, you will see a mass of sycamore roots in the creek—evidence of the tree's affinity for low moist woods and floodplains.

I have always experienced a peculiar pleasure while endeavoring to study the habits of this most beautiful bird in its favourite places of resort. Vol. 3, 52

—J. J. Audubon

Fig. 11

WooD PeWee, Plate CXV

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Swamp Azalea

Rhododendron viscosum

The swamp azalea is typically a wetland shrub, sometimes called the clammy azalea because of its very sticky corolla. The species name, viscosum, means "sticky" in Latin. The flowers appear after the leaves and are typically fragrant and white, although native pink forms do occur. All forms are of special value to native bumblebees. The pistils and filaments are typically white, which helps distinguish this species from a similar one, R. arborescens, which has red pistils.

Audubon notes that the swamp azalea “grows abundantly in almost every district of the United States, in such localities as are suited to it” (Audubon, Vol. 2, 96). Unfortunately, like many of our native azaleas that once were common, the swamp azalea is no longer abundant in the wild. Audubon made the composition for this print on his first journey back to America from England in May 1829. He had just hired landscape artist George Lehman, who painted the plant in this composition. Eventually, Lehman would regularly provide Audubon with backgrounds depicting the American landscape.

Now called the eastern wood pewee (Contopus virens), this species is abundant in our area in spring and summer.

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