Thinking Back (And Ahead) To Warmer Temperatures

Boy, was it cold here yesterday; my car thermometer read 6 degrees Farenheit Saturday morning! The only way for me to get through cold snaps like this in the middle of winter is to look back at photographs I took the previous summer, when the landscape was green and the days were long.


On 11 July 2009, Tony Troche and I spent a couple of hours botanizing at Round Lake Nature Preserve in Starke County, Indiana. Our best botanizing at the preserve came in a rich calcareous wet prairie adjacent to the lake and marsh communities.


Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa), an excellent indicator of calcareous soils, was abundant. Walking was cumbersome in places because of the low shrubby habit of this species and trying to avoid Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron radicans).


Winged Loosestrife (Lythrum alatum), the plant known by Dioscorides as "lytron" (and hence the origin of the genus name Lythrum), was a common forb throughout the wet prairie. This is another species characteristic of wet areas with pH of 7 or greater.


Sedges were common at this location, with one of the more abundante being Dioecious Sedge (Carex sterilis).


An interesting sedge that I have only seen at a handful of locations was White Beaksedge (Rhynchospora alba), a species of acidic and alkaline soils. The white spikelets make this species unique among our beaksedges.


One of our biggest highlights, though, was the highly charismatic Tuberous Grasspink (Calopogon tuberosus). The flowers of most orchid species, including all of them around here except for grasspink, twist when the flower is opening so that the lip is at the bottom, a process known as resupination. In Tuberous Grasspink, the lip is above the rest of the flower.


"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." -Hal Borland

Bracket Fungus

Last weekend, Keith Board and I briefly visited a boggy site in South Bend. We hadn't been on the site for 5 minutes before I broke through the surface and was over my knee boots in ice-cold water. Regardless, it was nice to get outside. Keith was very amused, especially since I fell through in a spot where he had just been standing. Instead of offering to help, Keith was reaching for his camera, but not quickly enough.


Portions of the site are dominated by woody species such as Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Chokeberry (Aronia prunifolia), and Gray Birch (Betula populifolia), which was once considered extirpated from the state. This is a very interesting community for St. Joseph County, Indiana.


One of the highlights on this day was the shelf fungus seen growing on several of the birch trees.


The best that I can tell, this is Birch Bracket Fungus (Piptoporus betulinus), but I would be willing to entertain other possibilities if anyone has other ideas. Birch Polypore or Razor Strop, as it is also known, grows on dead birch trees, or on wounds on living birch trees.


This fungus is said to be edible (but not very tasty); it has also been used medicinally. The common name Razor Strop comes from the use of this fungus to sharpen razors.


With the white snow, white sky, and white tree trunks, the yellow-orange underside of this beautiful fungus really stood out.

Handlens and Binoculars Turns One Year Old

Visitors often arrive at our blog after searching for things like "hand lens," what is a hand lens," "best binoculars," etc. What better time to discuss those things on this blog than on the one year anniversary of our very first blog post.


Technically, "handlens" is probably two words, but I prefer to consider it as one. Handlenses, also called loupes, are used by a variety of people for a variety of purposes: jewelers, watchmakers, numasmatists, photographers, dentists, geologists, botanists, etc. In my case, I use a handlens to magnify miniscule plant parts to aid in identification. Magnification from 7x to 20x is available, but most botanists prefer a 10x loupe. The most important part of a handlens is the lens itself, and you'll get what you pay for. High end optics companies such as Zeiss make handlenses that can be quite expensive. I've found that the Bausch & Lomb handlenses are excellent quality for the price (~$30-$40).


Several different styles of handlenses exist, including Doublet, Hastings Triplet, Coddington, and four- or five-element handlenses. Doublets consist of two lenses separated by air. While these are inexpensive, dirt and moisture can easily get between the lenses, making outside use troublesome. Hastings Triplets have three lenses cemented together with clear cement; this method keeps out the dirt and moisture. Coddingtons make innovative use of curved, single lenses that act like multiple lenses. It is almost impossible for moisture to get inside a Coddington handlens. Four- and five-element handlenses are more expensive but may result in greater clarity and/or higher light availability. For most botanists, Coddingtons and Hastings Triplets are the handlenses of choice.


As seen above, Coddington handlenses are a bit larger than Hastings Triplets; however, the usable area of the lens is actually larger in the Hastings Triplet.


The photograph above shows a Coddington handlens. Notice the black ring inside the handlens that reduces the viewing area. The photograph below shows a Hastings Triplet handlens. The viewing area is nearly the entire diameter of the handlens casing.


Below is a practical example of use of each of these handlenses. The photograph below shows the underside of leaves of Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) without magnification. A key character in distinguishing this species vegetatively from other members of the family Ericaceae is that Black Huckleberry has yellow, resinous glands on the leaf undersides; these are often very difficult to see with the naked eye.


Below on the left is the same leaf under magnification by a Bausch & Lomb 10x Coddington handlens; on the right is the same leaf under magnification by a Bausch & Lomb 10x Hastings Triplet handlens. With both of these handlenses, the yellow glands are easily visible (you may have to click on the photos to expand them to see this feature), but look at how much larger the viewing area is with the Hastings Triplet. This is why the Hastings Triplet is my handlens of choice.






More useful information on the different types of handlenses can be found here at Kooter's Geology Tools.

Everyone knows what binoculars are. Lindsay and I use binoculars for long distance magnification to see birds, butterflies, and on occasion, even distant plants. There are many brands and types of binoculars, and there are no "best" binoculars; each person has different preferences that will dictate what the best pair of binoculars for them will be. That said, here I will provide a little bit of information that may help in finding that perfect pair.

The power of every pair of binoculars is described with two numbers (such as 10 x 42). The first number is the times of magnification; the second number is the diameter of the objective lens (the lens at the end that you don't look through). The larger the objective lens, the more light that is let in. Based on this, you would probably think that the highest possible magnification and objective lens diameter would be preferable; however, with greater magnification comes magnification of the shaking caused by the human hand. Many birders prefer binoculars with 8x magnification and an objective lens with a diameter of 42 millimeters. Lens coatings are also important, as glass reflects light, and coatings result in brighter and clearer viewing.


As with anything, you will get what you pay for when buying binoculars. Some very high end binoculars are available, especially from outfits such as Zeiss and Swarovski. When I purchased my binoculars, I did a lot of research, and most reviews described the Nikon Monarch as the best value, considering the price (~$250) and the quality, which was not very noticably different from that of the high end binoculars. I have been extremely happy with these binoculars, and several friends have come to the same conclusion after researching and then buying Nikon Monarch 8 x 42 binoculars. Lindsay was also convinced, and recently purchased a pair for herself as well.


Lindsay and I strongly recommend purchasing a shoulder harness for use with your binoculars. If you've only used a neck strap, you would never believe how much the shoulder harness reduces the stress on your neck and back.

We have enjoyed our first year of blogging and hope that you have found our blog insightful and interesting. Thank you for visiting!

The Search for Coeloglossum

For several years while botanizing in Indiana, I had hoped to run across Frog Orchid (Coeloglossum viride). Vegetatively, this species can be confused with Palegreen Orchid (Platanthera flava var. herbiola) or even Broadleaf Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). There have been a couple of times in the past when I thought I might have finally found this elusive, intriguing orchid, but it was not in flower so I could never be sure. Who knew that my search would be satisfied by freak chance in Colorado? In July 2009, at Holy Cross Wilderness Area when our vehicle was broken down, I was botanizing the area while waiting for Eric to return when I happened upon my long-time target.


Called Frog Orchid because the Gene Simmons tongue-like lip apparently resembles a frog hopping into cover (you'll need a little imagination to see this), Long-bracted Green Orchid, as it is also known, grows in the forests, meadows, and bogs in the montane and subalpine life zones in Colorado (Beidleman et al. 2000; Weber 1976). It is found worldwide with a circumpolar distribution (Sheviak & Catling 2002). In North America, Frog Orchid is known from most of Canada, Alaska, and the northern half of the continental United States east of the Rocky Mountains; it is also known less commonly from a few western states (NatureServe 2010). Its habitat includes moist to wet forests, thickets, bogs, prairies, and tundra (Sheviak & Catling 2002).


The photograph above shows a Frog Orchid plant in bloom. As you can see, the plant can be easily overlooked, as the green flowers blend in well with the surroundings.


Coeloglossum means "hollow tongue;" the genus was named for the hollow pouch-like nectary below the base of the flower lip (Homoya 1993). Some authors have now moved this only member of the genus Coeloglossum to the genus Dactylorhiza (in which case it is called Dactylorhiza viridis). Dactylorhiza literally means "finger root;" the roots of this species consist of several palmate tubers (Case 1987) that as a result look something like fingers. The long bracts subtending greenish flowers (seen above) are the source of the common name Long-bracted Green Orchid.


Frog Orchid is rare in these parts and can be difficult to see in shady forests. Be sure to watch for it in mature woods in late spring and summer.

Beidleman, L.H., R.G. Beidleman, & B.E. Willard. (2000). Plants of Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Nature Association; Helena, Montana: Falcoln Publishing, Inc.

Case, F.W. Jr. (1987). Orchids of the Western Great Lakes Region. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Cranbrook Institute of Science.

Homoya, M.A. (1993). Orchids of Indiana. Bloomington & Indianapolis, Indiana: Indaian Academy of Science.

NatureServe. (2010). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: January 21, 2010 ).

Sheviak, C.J. & P.M. Catling. (2002). Coeloglossum. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 15+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 26.

Weber, W.A. (1976). Rocky Mountain Flora. Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado.

Beautiful, Yes... Grass, No

Translations of Latin names of plants can sometimes be a bit misleading. Take, for example, Calochortus gunnisonii var. gunnisonii. Calochortus comes from the Greek "kalos," meaning "beautiful," and "chortos," meaning "grass" (Fiedler & Zebell 2002). I doubt that many people would argue that the flowers of this species are not beautiful, but I would be pretty hard-pressed to find any botanists who would say that this plant is a grass.


This species (and variety) of Calochortus, which is actually in the family Liliaceae, was named in honor of Captain John Williams Gunnison, who was murdered at the age of 41 while on a surveying trip in Utah (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010). The first known collection of Gunnison's Mariposa Lily, as it is commonly known, was made in central Colorado in 1853 by Frederick Creutzfeldt (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010); the species now is known from Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming (Fiedler & Zebell 2002), where it is found in prairies and open forests (Strickler 1996). "Mariposa" is Spanish for "butterfly," a reference to the large white to purple or bluish-tinged petals that are said to look like butterfly wings (Beidleman et al. 2000).


In Colorado, Gunnison's Mariposa Lily grows from the foothills to the subalpine (6,000 to 11,500' above sea level) (Guennel 2004). We saw Sego Lily, as it is also known for its edible bulb, at two locations while we were in Colorado in July 2009. One of those locations was in a meadow near the most photographed mountain peaks in North America (USDA Forest Service 2010), Maroon Bells, near Aspen.


The lake in the foreground of the photos directly above and below certainly lives up to its name of Mirror Lake!


The other place that we saw Gunnison's Mariposa Lily was at Jewel Mountain, near Boulder.


Interestingly, at both locations, we saw insects inside the campanulate flowers.


The photograph above shows the Xeric Tallgrass Prairie habitat in which we found Gunnison's Mariposa Lily at Jewel Mountain. Xeric Tallgrass Prairie is unique for Boulder, as the nearest similar habitat is over 500 miles away (Fairlee pers. comm. 2009).

Beidleman, L.H., R.G. Beidleman, & B.E. Willard. (2000). Plants of Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Nature Association; Helena, Montana: Falcoln Publishing, Inc.

Fairlee, E. (2009). Personal Communication.

Fiedler, P.L. & R.K. Zebell. (2002). Calochortus. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 15+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 26.

Guennel, G.K. (2004). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 2: Mountains. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe Publishers.

Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. Retrieved January 16, 2010. http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/.

Strickler, D. (1998). Prairie Wildflowers: Showy Wildflowers of the Plains, Valleys, and Foothills in the Northern Rocky Mountain States. Columbia Falls, Montana: The Flower Press.

USDA Forest Service. Retrieved January 16, 2010. http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/rangerdistricts/aspen_sopris/mb_scenic_site/index.shtml.

Twinflower

In my recent post about Fairy Slipper, I mentioned that I saw several interesting plants characteristic of montane forest before finding a flowering Fairy Slipper. One of those plants was Twinflower (Linnaea borealis); in fact, this was the plant that I saw first, along the edge of the woods, that convinced me to push further into the woods to see what else was there. If not for this population of Twinflower, I might have missed out on Fairy Slipper.


A member of the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), Twinflower is an evergreen, trailing shrub with erect flower-bearing branches to six inches tall (Guennel 2004; Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010). The photos on this page show pretty clearly where it gets the common name of Twinflower. The genus Linnaea was named for 18th century naturalist Carl Linnaeus; the specific epithet borealis means "of northern regions," and refers to the circumboreal distribution of the species. Twinflower is known from the northern two-thirds of North America, as well as from higher elevations in the southwestern states (NatureServe 2010); however, it is considered a species of conservation concern in nine states (USDA, NRCS 2010).


Twinflower grows in habitats including conifer forest, cedar swamp, bog, and spring, sometimes along streams and pondshores (Guennel 2004; Wells et al. 1999). In Colorado, it is found in the montane and subalpine life zones (8,000-11,500 feet above sea level) (Guennel 2004).


It is no coincidence that I decided to post about Twinflower today. To see why I picked 10 January to share information about this species, see my recent post at Get Your Botany On!.

Guennel, G.K. (2004). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 2: Mountains. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe Publishers.

NatureServe. (2010). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: January 10, 2010 ).

Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. Retrieved January 10, 2010. http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/.

USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov/, 10 January 2010). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Wells, J.R., F.W. Case Jr., & T.L. Mellichamp. (1999). Wildflowers of the Western Great Lakes Region. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Cranbrook Institute of Science.

Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey

On 9 January 2010, Brian Miller, Jason Hughey, Lindsay, and I participated in the Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey. Armed with binoculars, a spotting scope, and a clipboard with data sheets, we covered three sites along the St. Joseph River that had been surveyed in the past (Bercado Shores, Merrifield Park, and Veteran's Park); we also added two new sites (Mishawaka Riverwalk and St. Joseph's Lake at Notre Dame). As expected, the most abundant and frequent species that we encountered during our surveys was Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos, below).


We also saw Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) at four of the five sites, including nearly 600 at Merrifield Park. Our next most common observations were American Coot (Fulica americana), at two of the sites, and Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), at three of the sites. A handsome male "hoodie" in breeding plumage on St. Joseph's Lake is shown below.


Species that we saw less frequently included Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis, at Veteran's Park), Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola, at Merrifield Park), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula, at Merrifield Park), and Common Merganser (Mergus merganser, at St. Joseph's Lake). Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) and Domestic Duck were also observed at several locations but were not on our data sheets. We also encountered at least two mature Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), one at Merrifield Park (we also saw one at Mishawaka Riverwalk that we think was the same bird), and one at St. Joseph's Lake. While at St. Joseph's Lake, I had stopped to scope ducks and noticed that all of the Ring-billed and Herring Gulls (Larus delawarensis and Larus argentatus) that had previously been on the lake were instead in the air and appeared agitated. I mentioned this to Lindsay and asked rhetorically if there was an eagle nearby. Without missing a beat, she replied, "Yep, right there!" I looked in the direction of "there" to see a mature Bald Eagle, which proceeded to circle low over the lake and make several fruitless diving attempts at fish before flying out of view.

An added incentive to being outside and doing surveys such as this is the "bonus" species that you encounter that are not targets for your survey. While at St. Joseph's Lake, we heard a very distant rattle that we thought sounded like a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). After several minutes, the rattle got closer and sounded more distinctly like a kingfisher. Shortly after, I found the male Belted Kingfisher shown below. In most bird species that exhibit sexual dimorphism, the male is the more colorful of the two sexes; this is not the case in Belted Kingfishers. The male is almost entirely blue and white, whereas the female has a rufous band across the chest (below the blue band) that extends down the flanks.


Although waterfowl were our target for the day, the most bizarre thing that we saw was a spider hanging out in the snow. We were amazed that this 3/4 inch long arachnid, shown in the photograph below, was out in 20 degree Farenheit weather, and without a hat and gloves nonetheless! According to Tom Murray on http://www.bugguide.net/, spiders tolerate the cold and can even be found on the snow. I think this is one of the longjawed orbweavers in the genus Tetragnatha, but if anyone can positively identify it, please do so.


Many people think that with the snow and cold weather comes an absence of wildlife, but this is not at all the case. Don't be scared off by sub-freezing temperatures; get out there and see what you can find!

A Slipper Fit For A Goddess

One of the plants that I had hoped to see while in Colorado was Fairy Slipper (Calypso bulbosa). Unfortunately, this orchid typically flowers from April to July (Guennel 2004), and we were within its geographical range in mid-July. On one occasion on our trip, we saw a plant that had finished flowering and fruiting; on another couple of occasions, we saw sterile plants. I was beginning to think that we were out of luck, until near the end of our trip, on 18 July 2009, at Rocky Mountain National Park.

After a picnic near a quiet stream for lunch, Eric, Lisa, Julia, Lindsay and I headed back to the car. If you know me at all, you know that I can't simply walk back to the vehicle along the same trail I walked in without at least checking out a bit more of the surroundings; this is especially true in a place I've never been. True to character, I swung through a montane woods while the rest of our group stayed along the trail back to the car. After seeing several exciting plants characteristic of dark, montane forest (that I will post about at a later date), I found my target, a late flowering (but past its prime) Fairy Slipper (be sure to check out the photos at Southwest Colorado Wildflowers to see what the plant looks like when the flowers are fresh).


Eric joined me just about the time that I found this plant, and the two of us proceeded to take numerous photos. I had no idea how difficult it was to keep a 2-year old happy while her dad and his friend were off botanizing. Shortly after I found the plant, I began hearing a car horn, which continued on and off until we got back to the car and found out that Julia was apparently ready to go. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take photos, though.

As seen in two of these photographs, Fairy Slipper has a solitary leaf at the base of the plant. This leaf emerges in the fall, overwinters under the snow (Strickler 1988), and withers soon after the plant flowers (Wells et al. 1999).


Calypso, as it is also known, is found at a range of elevations in Colorado, from the Foothills to the Subalpine (6,000' to 11,500' above sea level), in bogs and mossy forests and near springs and seeps (Guennel 2004). Closer to home around the Great Lakes, this orchid can be found in dry sand on dunes, in northern coniferous forests, in swamps and bogs, and on alvars (Wells et al. 1999; Case 1987). Its North American distribution includes much of Canada and the northern Unites States, as well as a band along the Rocky Mountains south to Arizona and New Mexico (NatureServe 2009). Globally, this species is circumboreal in distribution, meaning that it is found in northern climates around the world (Fernald 1950).


Calypso was named after the beautiful sea nymph in Homer's Odyssey (Wells et al. 1999). Many references attest to the beauty of the flowers of this plant. Upon seeing it, Hilde Guennel apparently exclaimed "Oh my God! That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" (Guennel 2004). Unfortunately, its beauty and intrigue has led to its demise and the degradation of its habitat in some places, as habitat has been trampled and plants have been unnecessarily collected (Case 1987).

Case, F.W. Jr. (1987). Orchids of the Western Great Lakes Region. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Cranbrook Institute of Science.

Fernald, M.L. (1950). Gray's Manual of Botany, Eighth (Centennial) Edition. American Book Company.

Guennel, G.K. (2004). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 2: Mountains. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe Publishers.

NatureServe. (2009). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: January 6, 2010 ).

Strickler, D. (1988). Forest Wildflowers: Showy Wildflowers of the Woods, Mountains and Forests of the Northern Rocky Mountain States. Columbia Falls, Montana: The Flower Press.

Wells, J.R., F.W. Case Jr., & T.L. Mellichamp. (1999). Wildflowers of the Western Great Lakes Region. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Cranbrook Institute of Science.