Adirondack Foray, Part I

For the past couple of years, Bruce Behan has been trying to get me to join him on a trip to upstate New York to check out the flora in his old stomping grounds just south of the Canadian border.  Luckily, our timing finally worked out this year and I was able to join Bruce three days of botanizing in the Adirondacks in early June.  Our trip started on an interesting note, with a slow leak in the front passenger side tire of the rental car, caused by a screw, as it turns out, before we had even left South Bend.  After getting the tire patched, we were four hours behind schedule, but the next 13 hours of our trip to Blue Mountain Lake were smooth sailing until we were just 25 miles from our cabin and the car started shaking.  Upon stopping, we found that the same tire had gone flat.  No cell phone service, no light, it began to drizzle, and we were changing a tire at just before midnight.  The next morning we were able to find a service station in Tupper Lake, New York that found that we'd run over a nail that punctured the tire just inches from the spot that was patched less than 24 hours previously.  This second tire patching led to another half-day delay, but by the time the tire was patched things were looking up, as the steady rain had slowed to a sprinkle and we were on our way to Silver Lake Bog.

Silver Lake Bog

At the 98-acre Silver Lake Bog Preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy, we were able to take in Beech-Hemlock Mesic Forest, Northern White Cedar Swamp, Pine Bluff overlooking Silver Lake, and the namesake of the preserve, Black Spruce-Tamarack Bog.  The mesic forest had an understory heavily dominated by ferns and boreal herbaceous species, whereas Sphagnum mosses and species with an affinity to wet, low pH conditions covered the bog.  A few of the plants we saw included Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum), Mountain Maple (Acer spicatum), Small Pussytoes (Antennaria howellii ssp. petaloidea), Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera), Drooping Woodland Sedge (Carex arctata), Fibrousroot Sedge (Carex communis), Nodding Sedge (Carex gynandra), Boreal Bog Sedge (Carex magellanica ssp. irrigua), Bluebead (Clintonia borealis), Yellow Coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida), Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule), Intermediate Woodfern (Dryopteris intermedia), Creeping Snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula), Western Oakfern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris), Catberry (Ilex mucronata), Tamarack (Larix laricina), Stiff Clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum), Tree Groundpine (Lycopodium dendroideum), Pennsylvania Clubmoss (Lycopodium hickeyi), Threeleaf False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum trifolium), Black Spruce (Picea mariana), Oldpasture Bluegrass (Poa saltuensis), Bog Labrador Tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), Dwarf Red Blackberry (Rubus pubescens), White Goldenrod (Solidago bicolor), New York Fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis), Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Red Trillium (Trillium erectum), and Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum). We also noted Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), Veery (Catharus fuscescens), Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla), Northern Parula (Setophaga americana), Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens), Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens), Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla), Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), and White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), nearly all by song as our eyes were on the vegetation.

Equisetum sylvaticum

Woodland Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum) was common in the Northern White Cedar Swamp understory.  This member of the prehistoric genus Equisetum is one of those plants that just gives you the feel of a boreal community.  Although not showy in the sense of flowering plants, an understory full of the branched branches radiating in whorls around the stems gives a lacy appearance that is beautiful and intriguing in its own right.  Woodland Horsetail grows in moist soils in open woods, shrubby areas, and meadows.  It has a circumpolar distribution; in North America it can be found throughout Canada and into the northern parts of the United States (but particularly in the northern Great Lakes and New England states).

Linnaea borealis

Also in the Northern White Cedar Swamp and along the boardwalk through the bog we encountered Twinflower (Linnaea borealis), a dwarf shrub with paired pink trumpet-shaped flowers.  This is another species that is more common to the north and that reaches its southern limits in the northern United States with the exception of higher elevation areas in the western part of the country, where the altitide provides a climate similar to that in Canada and the northwoods and allows its distribution to push further south.  Also circumpolar in distribution, this species is found in forests and boggy swamps, and it is no wonder after seeing the cute groundcover why Carl Linnaeus named this as his favorite plant species.

Spring Pond Bog

The following morning we travelled to Franklin County, New York and visited what was expected to be the highlight of the trip, Spring Pond Bog, another Nature Conservancy Property.  We started our hike in Mixed Mesic Forest and walked along an Esker before entering the enormous 500-acre Patterned Peatland.  Some of the more characteristic plants that we saw at this preserve include Striped Maple, Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla), Northern Shorthusk (Brachyelytrum aristosum), Fibrousroot Sedge, Coastal Sedge (Carex exilis), Nerveless Woodland Sedge (Carex leptonervia), Boreal Bog Sedge, Threeseeded Sedge (Carex trisperma), Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), Threeleaf Goldthread (Coptis trifolia), Bunchberry Dogwood (Cornus canadensis), Intermediate Woodfern, New York Fern, Tussock Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum), Harlequin Blueglag (Iris versicolor), Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), Bog Laurel (Kalmia polifolia), Tamarack, Threeleaf False Lily of the Valley, Black Spruce, Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus), Bog Labrador Tea, Starflower (Trientalis borealis), Painted Trillium, and two varieties of Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium var. angustifolium and V. angustifolium var. nigrum). Birds of interest included a cooperative Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis), Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis), Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum), Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum), Ovenbird, and Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca).  As you will see below, we were not disappointed, as Spring Pond Bog produced what turned out to arguably be the highlight of the trip.

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea

Another of the characteristic species within the Patterned Peatland community was the carnivorous plant Purple Pitcherplant (Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea).  Purple Pitcherplant is a regular part of plant communities such as bogs, fens, peatlands, and swamps, and I don't think I've ever seen it at a site and not taken a photo of it.  Try as I might, I was soon on hands and knees with my camera out to shoot this charismatic species.  Purple Pitcherplant is known from much of Canada and the eastern half of the United States.

Vaccinium oxycoccos

If you aren't familiar with the plant in the photograph above, you may be surprised to find that the fruit that develops when the flower matures is quite tasty and tart and known as Small Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos).  This small and easily overlooked plant was common nestled amongst the Sphagnum mosses in the Patterned Peatland at Spring Pond Bog.  It is often mistaken for the similar Large Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), which is the cranberry that is cultivated for commercial use.  Small Cranberry has smaller fruits, leaves that are strongly rolled down along the margins (revolute) and thickly white underneath, and a tiny pair of reddish bracts that are usually attached below the middle of the flower stalk.  Large Cranberry, on the other hand, has larger fruits, leaves that are slightly rolled down along the margins and pale beneath, and a pair of small green bracts above the middle of the flower stalks.  In addition, flowers of Small Cranberry appear to be at the tips of the plants , whereas those of Large Cranberry are on stalks from the middle of the plant .  Small Cranberry grows in bogs, fens, muskegs, and in tundra.  It has a mostly circumboreal distribution, except that it is not known from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.  Its range extends south into the northern parts of the United States, continuing to southern extents at high elevations along the Cascades and the Appalachians.

Carex oligosperma

If asked to name a sedge that occurs in bogs, my first response would be Fewseed Sedge (Carex oligosperma), so we were not surprised to find that this species was common in boggy areas at Spring Pond Bog.  Fewseed Sedge spreads by underground stems known as rhizomes, allowing it to form mats of vegetation.  This method of vegetative reproduction means that the plant puts most of its energy into its underground growth, so it doesn't flower and produce fruit as often as species that don't spread by rhizomes.  Since it often doesn't have flowers or fruit, it is easily overlooked.  In addition to bogs, Fewseed Sedge can be found in poor fens, marshes, and in openings in swamps through much of Canada, around the Great Lakes, and in the New England States; there is also a disjunct population in North Carolina.

Carex pauciflora

A less common sedge with a similar geographical range to that of Fewseed Sedge and that grows in similar plant communities is Fewflower Sedge (Carex pauciflora).  Finding this plant was the highlight of the trip for about an hour, until as you will see below its status was usurped.  Fewflower Sedge is often a small-stature sedge that is easily overlooked.  The mature perigynia are easily dislodged, and they can stick in animal fur or botanist socks, allowing them to be spread by a means not normally used by sedges.

Platanthera blephariglottis var. blephariglottis

As we were botanizing the Patterned Peatland we began seeing orchid leaves that we suspected belonged to White Fringed Orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis var. blephariglottis), but since this is generally a summer bloomer we didn't expect to see it in flower.  Because of the warm spring, however, we were able to find a few plants on 5 June on which a couple of flowers had opened, and sure enough it was White Fringed Orchid.  This beautiful orchid (don't judge it on my photo!) is known from the New England states and several adjacent Canadian provinces south and west to Virginia, Ohio, and Michigan; there is also a disjunct population recorded in central Illinois.  It grows in bogs and peaty meadows, as well as in pine savannas.

Okay, you've waited patiently, so now the trip highlight.  While gingerly walking through Sphagnum and sedges, I was lucky enough to glance down at the right time and to somehow distinguish the greenish-red lips of blooming Southern Twayblade (Listera australis) from the greenish-red sphagnum that was so abundant in the Patterned Peatland at Spring Pond Bog.  Bruce probably thought I'd been shot with how fast I dropped to the ground to see this 20 cm tall gem.  Upon getting down to its level, we were able to find several more individuals forming a small population. 

Listera australis

You may be thinking... "I thought Scott and Bruce were in New York and were seeing species with boreal distributions... what is this 'Southern' Twayblade all about?"  As its common name suggests, Southern Twayblade is mostly a species of the southern United States, found from Texas and Oklahoma to Florida (with a disjunct plant, one plant, found in Missouri recently by one Justin Thomas).  The scattered distribution of the species then continues north along the Atlantic coast, with a few county records as far north in the United States as Vermont; it is also known from a few Canadian provinces.  Southern Twayblade grows in bogs, marshes, and moist forests and can easily be overlooked.  In fact, the best that we've been able to tell, our observation of this small population represents a first record for Franklin County.  In addition, the species is considered endangered in New York, adding to the excitement of finding it.

Listera australis flower close-up, showing the long lip

The similar Heartleaf Twayblade (Listera cordata) is much more widespread and is found in similar habitats.  The lip on the flowers of Heartleaf Twayblade is smaller than that of Southern Twayblade, and the flowers overall are larger than those of Southern Twayblade.  We spent probably an hour photographing Southern Twayblade and taking measurements to justify our identification, as well as taking notes on the population so that we could report it to the appropriate individuals.

Stay tuned for Adirondack Foray, Part II, which will cover the end of our second day as well as our third day of botanizing in the Empire State.

2010 Spring Botanical Excursion, Part II

In a previous post, I began discussing the trip that I took to Missouri and Arkansas with Justin Thomas, Brad Slaughter, and Doug Ladd in April 2010. Here, I will conclude with my recap of our trip, beginning with the afternoon of 22 April 2010 after our visit at Dry Lost Creek Glade.

Our next stop was at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area, a preserve with interesting shale barrens communities. One of our highlights at this site, and also one of my targeted plants for the trip, was Hubricht's Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii), pictured below. Hubricht's Bluestar is endemic to Arkansas and Oklahoma, found in the Ouachitas and just one county in the Ozarks. It can be found on gravel bars, along creeks, and in bottomlands.


Nuttall's Cornsalad (Valerianella nuttallii), pictured below, is endemic to the Ouachitas, only known from Arkansas and Oklahoma. Its global conservation status is G2, meaning that it is considered imperiled (at high risk of extinction due to very restricted range, very few populations, steep declines, or other factors). We also saw this species at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area, growing in a shale glade.


Growing with Nuttall's Cornsalad was the much more common and widespread Beaked Cornsalad (Valerianella radiata). Notice that the flowers of Nuttall's Cornsalad are much larger than those of Beaked Cornsalad, shown below.


Yet another of my target plants, Entireleaf Western Daisy (Astranthium integrifolium ssp. ciliatum) was found in shale barrens at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area. This composite is known from Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. Most of the plants in the family Asteraceae bloom late in the year, but Entireleaf Western Daisy blooms from March to June.


Some of the additional plants we saw at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area were Amsonia tabernaemontana, Arnoglossum plantagineum, Asclepias hirtella, Astragalus distortus var. engelmannii, Boltonia diffusa, Camassia scilloides, Carex bushii, Carex caroliniana, Carex cherokeensis, Carex digitalis var. macropoda, Carex granularis, Carex meadii, Carex oligocarpa, Carex oxylepis, Collinsia violacea, Delphinium carolinianum, Dodecatheon meadia, Draba aprica, Eleocharis tenuis var. verrucosa, Eleocharis wolfii, Glandularia canadensis, Grindelia lanceolata, Krigia caespitosa, Melica mutica, Minuartia patula, Muhlenbergia sobolifera, Nemastylis nuttallii, Nothoscordum bivalve, Ophioglossum engelmannii, Parthenium hispidum, Phemeranthus calycinus, Phlox pilosa var. ozarkana, Quercus stellata, Sabatia angularis, Scleria verticillata, Selenia aurea, Silphium laciniatum, Trepocarpus aethusae, and Triodanis leptocarpa.


We spent the morning of 23 April 2010 botanizing at Frog Hollow, a property with various habitats including mesic bluffs, floodplains, and ridgetop shale barrens. One of my highlights at this property was a plant of the southcentral and southeastern United States that I'd never heard of, Smallflower Baby Blue-eyes (Nemophila aphylla), pictured above. This small member of the water leaf family (Hydrophyllaceae) grows in moist woods, alluvial soil, and disturbed areas.


Also at Frog Hollow we came across a population of the parasitic Oneflowered Broomrape (Orobanche uniflora). This species, shown above, is known from much of North America and 49 of the 50 states in the United States (it is not known from Hawaii). Because the roots of this species take nutrients from a host plant, it has no need for green leaves, and instead has brown scale-like leaves at the base of the plant. The flowers range from white to lavendar (sometimes blue).


We knew that Kentucky Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium kentuckiense) grew in moist woods at Frog Hollow and that it might be in flower. As we were searching for this target plant, we happened upon Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens) (above). This orchid was very quickly overshadowed (figuratively and literally), however, by the enormous Kentucky Lady's Slipper (below).


Kentucky Lady's Slipper grows up to 3 feet tall. The creamy yellow blooms are more blunt at the tip than are the lemon-yellow slippers of Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper. The slipper opening in the lip of Kentucky Lady's Slipper is also larger than that of Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper. Kentucky Lady's Slipper is found throughout the southeastern United States.

Other plants we saw at Frog Hollow include Aescula pavia, Amorpha nitens, Amsonia tabernaemontana, Aristolochia reticulata, Arundinaria gigantea, Asclepias variegata, Astranthium integrifolium ssp. ciliatum, Bignonia capreolata, Carex abscondita, Carex blanda, Carex crinita, Carex debilis, Carex digitalis var. macropoda, Carex intumescens, Carex jamesii, Carex joorii, Carex muehlenbergia, Carex nigromarginata, Carex ouachitana, Carex radiata, Carex retroflexa, Carex torta, Carya texana, Celtis laevigata, Chaerophyllum tainturieri, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Chionanthus virginicus, Coreopsis grandiflora, Corydalis flavula, Desmodium dillenii, Desmodium rotundifolium, Dichanthelium ashei, Dichanthelium boscii, Dichanthelium commutatum, Dichanthelium depauperatum, Dichanthelium dichotomum, Galium uniflorum, Glandularia canadensis, Halesia caroliniana, Hamamelis vernalis, Hybanthus concolor, Ilex opaca, Iris cristata, Itea virginica, Krigia dandelion, Lathyrus venosus, Liquidambar styraciflua, Lyonia ligustrina, Melica mutica, Muhlenbergia sobolifera, Muhlenbergia sylvatica, Nuttallanthus texanus, Oxalis violacea, Pedicularis canadensis, Penstemon arkanasanus, Phlox pilosa var. ozarkana, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Planera aquatica, Platanthera lacera, Poa autumnalis, Poa sylvestris, Quercus nigra, Quercus phellos, Quercus stellata, Ranunculus micranthus, Salvia lyrata, Silene virginica, Taxodium distichum, Trachelopsermum difforme, Tradescantia ernestiana, Tradescantia hirsuticaulis, Trillium recurvatum, Uvularia sessilifolia, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium virgatum, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum, and Wisteria frutescens, among others.

Our next stop was at Alum Fork Ponds. Unfortunately, we were rained out at this site, but not before seeing species including Carex albolutescens, Carex debilis, Dulichium arundinaceum, Gratiola brevifolia, Itea virginica, Juncus coriaceus, Nyssa sylvatica, and Viola lanceolata.

While driving, we stopped along roadsides at various Saline County locations. At one of those locations in moist woods, we saw Southern Twayblade (Listera australis), shown below. This tiny orchid can very easily be overlooked. It is known from the southern and northeastern United States and several eastern Canadian provinces.


At another roadside location, we stopped to photograph Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa). The Latin name of this species describes the spherical fruit (unlike other species of Baptisia that have fruit that look more like legumes) that are formed in summer. Yellow Wild Indigo grows in sandy soils and roadsides in the southern United States from Texas to Alabama.


The evening of 23 April 2010 and morning of 24 April 2010 were spent botanizing at Camp Road Shale Barrens. The lighting was bad while we were at this site, so I didn't get to take many photos. One of the highlights, though, was Longtube Cornsalad (Valerianella longiflora), a species endemic to Arkansas and Oklahoma. In the photograph below, you can see the long floral tube for which this species is named.


Some of the other plants observed at Camp Road Shale Barrens were Acer leucoderme, Asclepias viridiflora, Callirhoe pedata, Crataegus triflorum, Delphinium carolinianum, Dichanthelium linearifolium, Echinacea pallida, Eriogonum longifolium, Euphorbia ouachitana, Ilex vomitoria, Lonicera sempervirens, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Rhus trilobata var. trilobata, Ribes curvatum, Scutellaria parvula var. australis, Solidago petiolaris, Thelesperma filifolium, Vaccinium stamineum, and Yucca arkansana.

Theo was not able to join us for the rest of our trip, but he set us up with several sites to visit. Our next stop was at a novaculite glade at Tall Peak. Highlights on the glade included Cardamine ouachitana, Cheilanthes tomentosa, Houstonia ouachitana, Liatris compacta, and Liatris squarrosa var. hirsuta.

We next drove to Cossatot River State Park, where we quickly found yet another of our target species, Brown's Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum brownei). Brown's Waterleaf is only known from eight counties in Arkansas and is endemic to the Ouachitas. It is considered globally imperiled (G2), as there are less than 30 known occurrences of the species worldwide. Unfortunately, it was not quite in flower, as seen in the photograph below. Brown's Waterleaf grows in moist, rich, deciduous forests, and was described as new to science in 1991.


Other species observed at this location at Cossatot River State Park included Asarum canadense, Carex basiantha, Carex blanda, Chaerophyllum procumbens, Claytonia virginica, Elephantopus carolinianus, Enemion biternatum, Erigenia bulbosa, Festuca subverticillata, Lactuca floridana, Podophyllum peltatum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Sedum ternatum, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Trillium recurvatum, Valerianella palmeri, and Viola pubescens. Some of our highlights at Cossatot Falls included Amorpha nitens, Amorpha ouachitana, Carex latebracteata, Ceanothus herbaceus, Clematis pitcheri, Dichanthelium commutatum, Dichanthelium laxiflorum, Dichanthelium villosissimum, Leptopus phyllanthoides, Panicum bicknellii, Ulmus alata, Valerianella palmeri, and Vernonia lettermannii. We also botanized at Sand Bar Ridge along the Cossatot River, where we saw Arundinaria gigantea, Salix caroliniana, Tephrosia virginiana, and Ulmus alata, among other things.

While driving through a rich, seepy forest on 24 April 2010, we stopped for some quick roadside botany and found Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata) in flower.


The final stop on our destination was to the highest point in Arkansas, Mount Magazine. In addition to breathtaking views, we were treated to some excellent botanizing.


We found our target species, Mapleleaf Oak (Quercus acerifolia). The leaf shown below was one of few that we saw that actually looked a lot like a maple... most looked more like Shumard's Oak (Quercus shumardii), which makes sense because Mapleleaf Oak was treated as a variety of Shumard's Oak until 1990. Mapleleaf Oak is a Ouachita endemic known only from Arkansas, where it is considered threatened. Globally, it is considered critically imperiled (G1), with only a few hundred individuals known from six occurrences. Mapleleaf Oak is a scrubby tree that grows in open woods and on rocky ledges.


We also came across several populations of Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata), a handsome species of rich wooded slopes and forested floodplains found throughout the eastern United States. Flower color of this species ranges from white to lavendar to blue.


Other species of note observed in our half day at Mount Magazine include Amsonia tabernaemontana, Carex artitecta, Carex umbellata, Chionanthus virginicus, Clinopodium glabellum, Corydalis micrantha, Delphinium tricorne, Deschampsia flexuosa, Dichanthelium scoparium, Dichanthelium villosissimum, Dryopteris marginalis, Galium arkansanum, Gillenia stipulata, Hydrangea arborescens, Hypericum gentianoides, Ligusticum canadense, Lonicera flava, Oenothera pilosella, Orbexilum pedunculatum, Nothoscordum bivalve, Parthenium hispidum, Penstemon tubiflorus, Philadelphus pubescens, Polymnia canadensis, Quercus marilandica, Quercus stellata, Ranunculus harveyi, Saxifraga palmeri, Silphium asteriscus, Solidago arguta, Solidago hispida, Solidago petiolaris, Symphyotrichum anomylum, Symphyotrichum patens, Thaspium barbinode, Trillium viridescens, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum, and Woodsia obtusa.


Thanks to Doug, Justin, and Brad for a great spring botanizing trip, and to Theo for setting us up with some great sites to see some amazing plants. For more photos from our trip, see my post at Get Your Botany On!.