Bird Quiz

I took the following photograph today while on a field trip at Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area with South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society.  The photo quality isn't spectacular, but I think at least five bird species can be identified in this photograph.  Get out your binoculars and spotting scopes and tell me which species you can identify! Good luck!

 

2012-2013 Winter Feeder Count Results

As we have in 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012, Lindsay and I participated in the Indiana Audubon Society Winter Feeder Bird Count this past November through February.  This count is conducted on the 20th to 25th of November, December, January, and February at feeders throughout the state.

Various feeder birds, including Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, and American Tree Sparrow

We haven't been able to match the numbers we had in 2008-2009, when we had 19 species in November, 20 species in December, 18 species in January, and 25 species in February, for a total of  27 species during the count.  Our species numbers during the 2012-2013 count were similar to the past four years, however.  We had 17 species in November, 16 species in December, 15 species in January, and 19 species in February; over the past four years of the count, we've never had less than 15 species or more than 19 species during one of the count periods.  We tallied 23 species at our feeders during the count periods in 2012-2013, the second most that we've had during the last five years.  Our complete list is included at the end of this post.

Male Downy Woodpecker

Species observed most frequently (those present during all four count periods) in 2012-2013 were Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea), Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), and House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). Species observed in greatest abundance during a single count period (with the greatest number observed at one time in parentheses) were House Sparrow (31 in December, 13 in January), American Tree Sparrow (16 in February), Dark-eyed Junco (15 in January), Mourning Dove (14 in January), European Starling (13 in December), and American Goldfinch (13 in November). The most abundant species based on average over the four count periods were House Sparrow (14.25), American Tree Sparrow (10.25), Northern Cardinal (9.0), and Mourning Dove (8.5).  Numbers of individuals were down substantially from last year, when we had four species that averaged over 10 individuals over the count period.  The most notable observation that we made this year was a lack of White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys).  During the 2012-2013 count, we only had one White-crowned Sparrow during one of the count periods (November).  The number of individuals of this species seems to have been decreasing at our feeders each year.  In 2011-2012, we had one individual during each of the four count periods; in 2008-2009, we had 7 individuals in November, 2 individuals in December, 2 individuals in January, and 1 individual in February.

Female Hairy Woodpecker

Although overall it has been another mild winter, the temperature range during the count period was comparable to that in previous years, with a low temperature of 4 degrees Fahrenheit in January and a high temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit in November.  However, the most snow cover that we had at any time during the 2012-2013 count was 3 inches.

2012-2013 Winter Bird Feeder Count Species List
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
European Starling
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus)
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Kill the Thistles... Right?

In early July I made a trip to a northwest Indiana location to see a thistle.  "Why would anyone travel to see a thistle," you ask?  Thistles are common weeds in almost every old field, right?

 

Not this one.  To the untrained eye, the plant in these photographs may look a bit like Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), but you can see at the bottom of the above photograph that the stem below the flowering head is not winged and spiny, as it would be in Bull Thistle.  In addition, this thistle would be dwarfed by Bull Thistle, as it grows to just over half a meter tall at the most.  No, I didn't make the hour-plus drive to see a weed; I was visiting a known site for one of the rarest thistles in North America, a Great Lakes endemic, Hill's Thistle (Cirsium hillii).  I had planned my trip for early July because Hill's Thistle should have been in peak bloom, but as a result of the weird weather year that was 2012, all but one of the plants in the small population had finished blooming, and the one that still was flowering was well past its peak.  Hill's thistle was first collected back in 1890 by Rev. E.J. Hill, not more than a few miles from the location where I saw it in 122 years later.

Hill's Thistle is only known from six states and one Canadian province surrounding the Great Lakes; it is listed as endangered or threatened in three of them and special concern in others, but more importantly, it is considered globally vulnerable.  Not only is it already rare, but populations of Hill's Thistle are declining as a result of habitat loss, in part due to fire suppression and the litter accumulation and succession from prairie to shrubby habitat that comes as a result.  In addition, Hill's thistle is a short-live perennial species, with a life span of two to five years, and it only produces flowers in the final one to three of those years; if the seed isn't successful in germinating in those years, the plant simply doesn't reproduce.  Aside from locations close to the lakes, Hill's Thistle is focused in counties along the Mississippi River.  This rare thistle has been found in habitats including prairies, savannas, barrens, and open woodlands, as well as in limestone pavement alvars.  Hill's Thistle is sometimes treated as as variety of Pasture Thistle (Cirsium pumilum), a plant of the eastern (mostly northeastern) United States.

Adirondack Foray, Part II

I previously posted Part I of my Adirondack Foray with Bruce Behan.  When I left off, we had completed the first half of our second (of three) days of botanizing.  After leaving Spring Pond Bog, we traveled to the 900-acre Clintonville Pine Barrens, where we only had a few hours of remaining daylight to explore this unique Pitch Pine-Heath Barren community. 

 

Clintonville Pine Barrens

At this Nature Conservancy preserve, an open canopy dominated by Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) has developed on top of the sandy soil deposited approximately 12,000 years ago by melting glaciers. Common acidophile shrubby understory plants that we observed that help to give the Pitch Pine-Heath Barren community its name include Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina), Northern Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera), Eastern Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), two varieties of Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium var. angustifolium and V. angustifolium var. nigrum), and Blue Ridge Blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum). Some of the other characteristic plants that we saw include Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium), Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), Flaxleaf Whitetop Aster (Aster linariifolius), Bigleaf Aster (Aster macrophyllus), Wavyleaf Aster (Aster undulatus), Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica), Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata), Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta), Wavy Hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Tree Groundpine (Lycopodium dendroideum), Whorled Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia), Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense var. canadense), Purple Chokeberry (Photinia floribunda), Red Pine (Pinus resinosa), Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus), Sandcherry (Prunus pumila), Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Western Brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum), American Wintergreen (Pyrola rotundifolia var. americana), White Oak (Quercus alba), False Melic (Schizachne purpurascens), Strict Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium montanum), Broad-leaved Meadowsweet (Spiraea latifolia), Starflower (Trientalis borealis ssp. borealis), and Velvetleaf Huckleberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides).  Birds of interest included Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens), Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla), Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla), Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca), Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus), and Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis).


Ceanothus herbaceus

One of our target plants at Clintonville Pine Barrens was the rare Prairie Redroot (Ceanothus herbaceus), a plant listed as endangered in New York.  We weren't on the site more than 10 minutes before we found this low shrub in full flower.  Also known as Jersey Tea, this species is very similar to New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus), but differs in that the inflorescences are found at the end of the current year's growth (in New Jersey Tea, the inflorescences are borne on long stalks from the upper leaf axils).  Prairie Redroot is known primarily from the central United States, from Texas through Minnesota and Wisconsin, and into Canada, reaching back south into upstate New York.  It can be found in prairies, fields, and other open areas in dry and often rocky or sandy soil.

Cypripedium acaule

Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule) is, dare I say, fairly common in the northeast.  In fact, we saw this attractive orchid at all but one of the sites we visited during our trip.  We saw this species in dry acidic soils in forests and shrubby barrens, but it also grows in saturated acidic conditions, such as in bogs and swamps.  In addition to the New England states, Pink Lady's Slipper, as it is also known, grows south along the Appalachian Mountains, and also in the Great Lakes states; it also reaches north into much of Canada.  While at Clintonville Pine Barrens, Bruce kept talking about the elusive white Moccasin Flower, and it wasn't until I got home and was looking at my photographs that I realized that I'd actually seen the white Moccasin Flower, Cypripedium acaule forma albiflora.  In addition to the white or very faintly pink-tinged floral lip, the white form of Moccasin Flower lacks pigmentation in the petals and sepals, leaving them yellowish green instead of brownish or purplish as in the typical and much more common form.

Cypripedium acaule f. albiflora

We began our final day of botanizing in the Adirondacks with a trip to The Nature Conservancy's Gadway Sandstone Pavement Barrens Preserve in Clinton County, New York.  This 520-acre preserve harbors several interesting plant communities, including Sandstone Pavement, Mixed Mesic Upland Forest, Swamp, and Jack Pine-Heath Barrens. 

Gadway Sandstone Pavement Barrens Preserve

Many different types of natural processes have combined to form our natural communities.  The Sandstone Pavement community is thought to have formed when a catastrophic flood from the abrupt drainage of Glacial Lake Iroquois stripped the topsoil and glacial deposits from the land, leaving bare sandstone.  In the 11,000 to 12,000 years since that time, a very thin layer of nutrient poor soil has formed in spots.  Early colonizers such as mosses and lichens are abundant, and shallow-rooted vascular plants that can tolerate low pH levels have taken advantage of the harsh site conditions.  The result is a globally rare plant community known from fewer than 20 sites on Earth.  Many of the plants, especially in lower areas, can tolerate at least seasonal inundation, giving rise to interesting wetlands in very shallow soils over sandstone bedrock.

Wet spot on the sandstone pavement

Where slightly deeper soils are present, Jack Pine-Heath Barrens have formed.  These fire-dependent communities are similar to the Pitch Pine-Heath Barrens observed at Clintonville Pine Barrens in that they are dominated by acidophiles that can survive in low nutrient soils.

Jack Pine-Heath Barrens community at Gadway Sandstone Pavement Barrens Preserve

Plant species that we observed in the Sandstone Pavement that are characteristic of this community include Red Maple, Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera), Wavy Hairgrass, Eastern Teaberry, Black Huckleberry, Narrowleaf Cowwheat (Melampyrum lineare), Purple Chokeberry, Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana), Red Pine, Eastern White Pine, Western Brackenfern, Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra), and Lowbush Blueberry.  Other plants of interest observed at the preserve include Striped Maple, Gray Birch (Betula populifolia), Northern Shorthusk (Brachyelytrum aristosum), Drooping Woodland Sedge (Carex arctata), Silvery Sedge (Carex canescens), Fibrousroot Sedge (Carex communis var. communis), Nodding Sedge (Carex gynandra), Bluebead (Clintonia borealis), Threeleaf Goldthread (Coptis trifolia), Bunchberry Dogwood (Cornus canadensis), Moccasin Flower, Northern Bush Honeysuckle, Intermediate Woodfern (Dryopteris intermedia), Marginal Woodfern (Dryopteris marginalis), Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens), Catberry (Ilex mucronata), Butternut (Juglans cinerea), Common Juniper (Juniperus communis), Canada Mayflower, Indian Cucumber (Medeola virginiana), Roughleaf Ricegrass (Oryzopsis asperifolia), Rock Polypody (Polypodium virginianum), Arctic Rattlebox (Rhinanthus minor ssp. groenlandicus), Broad-leaved Meadowsweet, New York Fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis), Starflower, Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum), Velvetleaf Huckleberry, and Withe-rod (Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides).

Kalmia angustifolia

Although we saw Sheep Laurel at many of the sites we visited, including Gadway Sandstone Pavement Barrens Preserve, it is considered exploitably vulnerable in New York.  This is a testament to the beauty of this Ericaceous shrub, as it is often collected for garden and ornamental use.  That said, Sheep Laurel is listed on the Canadian weed list because of its ability to invade commercial shrub and tree plantations, and it is likely physically removed from similar situations in the United States.  In addition, because its foliage contains the glycoside andromedotoxin, which is deadly to animals (leading to another common name of Sheepkill), Sheep Laurel is likely often removed from pastures.  Found primarily in New England, the northern half of the lower peninsula of Michigan, and Canada, Sheep Laurel occurs in bogs, swamps, and other wet areas with low pH, often in sandy soil.

The final botanical destination on our foray left us just steps away from the US-Canadian border, as we visited The Gulf Unique Area in Clinton County.  At this interesting New York State Department of Conservation site we wandered through Swamp Forest, Mixed Mesic Upland Forest, Sedge Meadow, and Dry Upland Coniferous Forest.

Swamp at Gulf Unique Area

Because of the range of plant communities at The Gulf Unique Area, we encountered a wide variety of plants.  Some of the highlights and characteristic species we saw in the Swamp Forest include Paper Birch, Brownish Sedge (Carex brunnescens), Silvery Sedge, White Edge Sedge (Carex debilis var. rudgei), Threeseeded Sedge (Carex trisperma), Threeleaf Goldthread, Woodland Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum), Eastern Teaberry, Threeleaf False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum trifoliatum), Indian Cucumber, Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa), Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), and Withe-rod.  In the Mixed Mesic Upland Forest we enjoyed seeing Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea), Striped Maple, Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), Drooping Woodland Sedge, Fibrousroot Sedge, Bluebead, Bunchberry Dogwood, Moccasin Flower, Northern Bush Honeysuckle, Intermediate Woodfern, Black Huckleberry, Shining Clubmoss (Huperzia lucidula), Twinflower (Linnaea borealis), American Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis), Stiff Clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum), Tree Groundpine, Canada Mayflower, Eastern White Pine, Rock Polypody, Western Brackenfern, Skunk Currant (Ribes glandulosum), Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa), Twistedstalk (Streptopus lanceolatus var. lanceolatus), Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Starflower, Red Trillium (Trillium erectum), Painted Trillium, Lowbush Blueberry, Velvetleaf Huckleberry, Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides), and Sweet Wild Violet (Viola blanda var. palustriformis).  The Sedge Meadow was characterized by Purplestem Aster (Aster puniceus), Bottlebrush Sedge (Carex hystericina), Lake Sedge (Carex lacustris), Upright Sedge (Carex stricta), Bulblet-bearing Water Hemlock (Cicuta bulbifera), American Mannagrass (Glyceria grandis), Earth Loosestrife (Lysimachia terrestris), Tufted Loosestrife (Lysimachia thyrsiflora), Great Water Dock (Rumex orbiculatus), Broad-leaved Meadowsweet, and Eastern Marsh Fern (Thelypteris palustris var. pubescens).  Balsam Fir, White Spruce (Picea glauca), and Eastern White Pine were characteristic of the Dry Upland Coniferous Forest.  As we were leaving The Gulf Unique Area, we stopped the car to see Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra), Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), and Perfoliate Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata) in a Deciduous Mesic Upland Forest, and in the process we flushed an Ovenbird.  I continued to watch this ground-dwelling warbler until I found her characteristic oven-shaped nest.

Calla palustris

In the Swamp Forest at The Gulf Unique Area we came across a sphagnum slough full of Water Arum (Calla palustris).  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you've seen photographs of, and read commentary on, Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) and Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus).  Like these two species, Water Arum is in the family Araceae, and all three species share the common trait of having a conspicous sphathe surrounding a spadix covered with tiny, incospicuous flowers.  When it goes to fruit, the spadix will be covered with bright red, fleshy berries.  As with many things in nature, the bright red fruits of Water Arum indicate that they are poisonous; in fact, the entire plant is extremely poisonous, and if you eat it you will experience painful swelling (or so I'm told).  Water Arum grows in bogs, swamps, and marshes, as well as along rivers, ponds and lakes.  Its geographical range in the United States includes the New England states and the upper Great Lakes region; it is also found throughout Canada.

Oxalis montana

I was thrilled to locate a population of Mountain Woodsorrel (Oxalis montana) within the Mixed Mesic Upland Forest at The Gulf Unique Area.  Unlike the previous species, you can eat Mountain Woodsorrel without hesitation, and the sour leaves make a nice addition to a salad.  This low-growing climax forest species is known from the New England states and south along the Appalachian Mountains, as well as from the upper Great Lakes region and eastern Canada.  It grows in moist forests, often in mosses under conifers. 

Driving back to our cabin to spend our last night in the Adirondacks, Bruce and I made one last stop to see the "Grand Canyon of the East," Ausable Chasm, in Clinton and Essex counties.  This magnificent sandstone gorge has formed as a result of more than 500 million years of glacial movements followed by the Ausable River carving out a channel as it leads into Lake Champlain.  The result is a 2 mile long, 150 foot deep New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Unique Geologic Feature.

Ausable Chasm

Thanks Bruce, for a fantastic spring botanical outing and for showing me some spectacular natural areas!  As you can tell, I had an amazing time.

Bruce Behan

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Lindsay, Scott, and Bootypants!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In a matter of a few hours, I expect that I will look a lot like this Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) looks in this photograph, taken on our recent trip.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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.

Backyard Rainbow

Often with photography, timing is everything.  I was lucky this afternoon to catch an extremely vivid rainbow to the east of our property.

 

This rainbow almost appeared to start on the property next to ours and end in Potato Creek State Park.

For a while, a double rainbow was present, as seen faintly in the photograph below.

Final Harvest of 2012

Lindsay and her friends Amber and Matt collected the final harvest of 2012 this afternoon.  Below is a photograph showing half of that harvest.  Yes, the blue bin is full of tomatillos.

 

Another great year in the Namestnik garden!

Worth the Trip (and the Resulting Lack of Sleep)

Memorial Day weekend is always exciting for me, as it means a trip to somewhere in Michigan to meet up with old friends and participate in the Michigan Botanical Club Spring Foray.  This year's foray was centered in Pellston, Michigan (in the Tip of the Mitt) at the University of Michigan Biological Station.  In typical Scott fashion, I pushed the limits of human sleep requirements on this fine weekend.  I worked until after 5 PM on 25 May, then came home and packed my things.  I was finally able to get to bed around 9:30 PM for a three hour nap before heading out for the six hour drive to the field station.  I arrived just in time for a quick breakfast prior to heading out on my first field trip. 


Lake Huron Tansy

On Saturday I joined an all day field trip to Sturgeon Bay Dunes, led by Kathy Bricker.  One of the highlights of this trip was seeing the state-threatened Lake Huron Tansy (Tanacetum bipinnatum ssp. huronense).  In the United States, this taxon is only known from four states, and it is of conservation concern in the three states (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine) in which it occurs in the Lower 48.  It is also known from Alaska and much of Canada, and looking at the species in the broader sense, it is circumboreal, also occurring in Siberia.  In the Great Lakes region, Lake Huron Tansy is only known from calcareous sand dunes along Lake Huron and Lake Superior. 

Ram's Head Lady's Slipper

We also made a quick stop along a roadside to see Ram's Head Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium arietinum).  This intriguing orchid is a species of conservation concern throughout its United States range (it is known from nine Great Lakes and New England states; it also has a limited range in Canada).  It is most commonly found in calcareous soils of coniferous and mixed forests.  Ram's Head Lady's Slipper is a small orchid that can easily be overlooked.  The only other time I've seen it was when I was taking a brief bathroom break in a boreal forest in northernWisconsin and I looked down and noticed an odd orchid that was just past peak bloom... after finishing up, I bent down and found that I'd happened upon a new county record of Ram's Head Lady's Slipper that without the benefit of my small bladder would have continued to go unnoticed for an unknown number of years.

Dwarf Lake Iris

Caving to the pressures of a flora-happy group that had little regard for getting back to the field station on time, Kathy made another roadside stop to show us Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), a Great Lakes endemic known only from Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario in areas bordering Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.  Some believe that this species should at best be considered a variety of the larger Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata), a species with a more southern distribution.  Dwarf Lake Iris is a rhizomatous species that can form near carpets in the calcareous soils in which it is found, but due to its limited geographical range it is considered federally threatened.  Plants at this location were nearly past bloom when we saw them, with just a few holding onto flowers.  Dwarf Lake Iris is the state wildflower of Michigan.

That evening, instead of getting to bed early like my body told me to, I decided to stay up until after midnight visiting with friends.  The next morning, I was up by 6:30 AM with high hopes of seeing more rare plants on an all day field trip to the eastern Upper Peninsula peatlands with Brad Slaughter.

Dragon's Mouth

Brad does not disappoint.  After an hour long drive and some confusion in getting our group of several vehicles together, we all made it into Eckerman Fen where we saw a mix of calciphiles and acidophiles growing in mucky soils and sphagnum hummocks.  Although a couple of the sedges were highlights for me, the group seemed to enjoy Dragon's Mouth (Arethusa bulbosa) more than any of the other plants we saw in bloom.  I have to admit... even this sedgehead was a bit mystified by the enormous pink blooms of the Dragon's Mouth plants, which occur on relatively short stems growing out of the sides of sphagnum mounds.  Dragon's Mouth grows in bogs, fens, swamps, and sedge meadows in the northeastern states and provinces of North America.

Tussock Cottongrass

We then made a stop at a very different type of peatland community, Trout Lake Muskeg.  The flora was expectedly not as rich here as at the fen because the soil chemistry was more acidic, limiting the number of species that can tolerate site conditions.  However, we still saw a nice mix of plant species, including Tussock Cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum).  This circumboreal sedge is found in the northeastern parts of North America in bogs, peaty meadows, and similar habitats. 

Small Yellow Lady's Slipper

As most of our group headed back for dinner, Brad, Rob Liebermann, and I decided to forgo the meal that was covered by our foray registration fees and to continue on to Summerby Swamp to visit another fen community.  As expected, a rich flora awaited us.  Though there were many highlights, it was nice to see a good example of Small Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum var. makasin), with small lips (pouches), purple sepals and petals, and distinctly vanilla-scented flowers.  For comparison, there were also individuals of Large Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens) on the site; these had (slightly) larger lips, green (or at least with less purple) sepals and petals, and flowers with no odor. This elegant orchid is known from fens, wet prairies, and open forests in calcareous soils throughout much of the northern half of North America but is of conservation concern in many of the states in which it occurs.

When we arrived back to the field station, the sun was already beginning to fall below the northern Michigan horizon, and I knew I had to get on the road for home soon.  By 10 PM, I was on my way, stopping to sleep at a rest stop for an hour to help me get home safely by 4:00 AM on 28 May.  Another whirlwind, in a way considered one of the dumber things I've done given that I drove 12 hours round trip for 20 hours or so of botanizing, and given that I slept only 10 hours during this 72-hour period.  But as you can see here, and as I hope to show in posts this winter if I ever get caught up on the rest of the year of botanizing, it was defintely worth the trip.