Four Walks at KSR, Part 3

August 23 – a hot humid late summer day. Peter and I drove to Jokers Hill and went for a late afternoon walk in the woods, following a path that drops down from the wonderful curving driveway that leads to the Estate House. We’d trailed Art along that path on my first visit, through open woods strewn with dried leaves. How different it was now with the woods full of green light.

In the shade I felt cool at first, but when we sidetracked onto a narrow path where smaller trees crowded its edges, the wind vanished and humid air folded around us. We moved slowly. I kept stopping to look at detail after detail—berries shining brightly in the green shadows, horsetails growing along both sides of the path, patterns of light flaring from the surfaces of leaves or turning them translucent. There we were, hovering at the peak of summer, with thick glossy greens everywhere, but berries and seedpods hinted fall was in the wings. 

Once again I didn’t make field notes … but I did take photographs … 

I was startled by how translucent the horsetails were. The spider wen is a bonus, not seen until I looked at this photo.

Can anyone tell me what this plant is?