For a New Plant, I Would Crawl to the Edge of the Earth

When most of my friends and family hear that I've gone botanizing for the day, they probably have images of me strolling lazily along a trail through a dry area devoid of poison ivy, plants with thorns and prickles, mosquitoes, yellow jackets, and venomous snakes on a comfortable spring day.  Ninety-nine percent of the time, that couldn't be farther from the truth.  My travels take me to the edges of the Earth, almost literally in some cases.

 

Scott defies death to photograph a plant. Photo by Erin Victory.

Such was the case on 11 July 2014. While in Keweenaw County, Michigan, Brad Slaughter, Erin Victory, and I were joined by Janet Marr on a trip to Brockway Mountain.  As you can see in the photographs, Brockway Mountain, which reaches 1,320 feet above sea level, drops steeply to mature forest.  Very steeply.  Steeply enough that to see one little plant we crawled on the volcanic rock to the furthest extent that we could go and still feel like we had the toes of our boots firmly planted in a secure crevice. 

Long way down. Photo by Erin Victory.

To add to the danger (and it truly was danger, especially looking back and remembering how I felt at a couple of moments while laying on my belly holding onto the edge of the Earth), it was raining, making everything, especially the creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) on which we were laying, very slick.  The wind... my gosh... the wind.  "Relentless" is the only way to describe it.  One wrong move, and it really would have been over.  This was the same day that LeBron James announced he was returning to Cleveland to bring the Cavaliers and the city that I grew up 30 minutes from a much needed and long awaited championship.  I made a comment to Brad at one point that this was how it was going to end for me... that I would never see a Cleveland major sports championship, and this silly plant would be the reason why.

Brad and Erin get in on the game.

Luckily, I'm here today to write about our trip. And this is what it's like when I go out botanizing.  Okay, this was probably one of my most dangerous outings ever, but it's never all butterflies and flowers.

So what plant could possibly lure us into this dangerous predicament?

Erin livin' life on the edge.

You can see the object of our obsession in the middle of the photograph below.  It's the slightly yellowish green, diminutive plant with tiny white flowers.  Still not sure what it is?  It's one of the rarest species in Michigan, found only on the conglomerate cliff of Brockway Mountain, and this was the only individual we saw.  We were lucky to have Janet with us to show us the location, or we easily could have overlooked it.

We did it all for this plant.

We were there to see Keweenaw rock-rose (Chamaerhodos erecta ssp. nuttallii), a state endangered and critically imperiled member of the family Rosaceae that is considered a western disjunct species (a species geographically separated from its wider distribution area in the western United States). Sadly, this gem is surrounded by invasive species including spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos) and honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), so even if trampling and rock climbing don't do it in, its days of occurrence in Michigan may be numbered. Unfortunately, the relentless wind that I mentioned previously prevented perfectly focused photos, even on this low-growing plant.

Keweenaw Rock Rose

Once we crawled back up to safety, we were shown how to correctly approach this cliff-dwelling species by legendary Michigan botanist Tony Reznicek, who essentially took a few rapid steps, leapt, and landed on his belly, clutching the cliff inches from the edge. He shot a couple of quick photos, hopped back up, and walked to where we were standing awestruck, still covering our eyes due to Tony's incredibly dangerous yet confident feet. Regardless, you won't see me doing this anytime soon.  I'll continue to crawl.

A "Three New Sedge" Day!

It's not everyday that I get to see a sedge (Carex) species that I haven't seen before.  Imagine my surprise and excitement, then, at having the opportunity to see three sedge species I'd never seen in a single day... just one state away in Michigan!  Well, I guess the Upper Peninsula technically counts as Michigan, even though it feels a bit more like Alaska.

 

Carex media

On 11 July 2014, I was in the Upper Peninsula to prepare for a field trip I was leading at the annual Michigan Botanical Club Foray.  Prior to our trip, Brad Slaughter contacted Janet Marr about getting access to an island just off of the mainland, and Janet made contact with the landowner and was able to get permission for us to borrow canoes to access the island.  During our free time, Erin Victory, Brad, Janet, and I paddled out to the island with hopes of seeing Intermediate Sedge (Carex media) and Ross' Sedge (Carex rossii).  Janet had recently been to the island and was able to take us directly to a clump of Intermediate Sedge. 

Carex media; note the fresh spikelet.

Intermediate Sedge has a circumboreal distribution, and although it is widespread in Canada, it is only known from eight states (and that includes Alaska).  In Michigan, it is only known from Keweenaw County, where it is found on Isle Royale and on the north shore of the peninsula. As such, it is considered threatened in Michigan. This handsome sedge grows in thin soils of forest openings and on rocky shores.

Carex media along the shore of the island.

As we continued our hike across the small island, our next target was Ross' Sedge, and it wasn't long before we started locating populations of this rarity as well. Ross' Sedge is in section Acrocystis, meaning that it shares characteristics with Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica), Whitetinge Sedge (Carex albicans), and Parasol Sedge (Carex umbellata).

Carex rossii

Similar to Intermediate Sedge, Ross' Sedge is state threatened and known in Michigan only from Keweenaw County. This is one of several western disjunct species that occurs in the Upper Peninsula; it is much more widespread in the western United States and most of Canada.

Spike of Carex rossii.  Note the leaf-like lowest pistillate bract of the non-basal spike.

Ross' Sedge occurs in sandy and rocky soils in a range of habitats such as coniferous woodlands and prairies; in Michigan, it grows on rocky bluffs and slopes.

Carex rossii

The third new sedge of my trip, Back's Sedge (Carex backii), was found at Brockway Mountain after receiving a tip from Tony Reznicek.  To find this unique sedge, I drove in persistent rain to the approximate location of the plant, located it from the car, and hopped out for some very quick photographs.

Carex backii

Back's Sedge is morphologically similar to James' Sedge (Carex jamesii), putting it in section Phyllostachyae.  If the somewhat hidden spikelets were overlooked, it may look like a vegetative sedge in section Laxiflorae.

Carex backii.  Note the wide bracts that conceal the spikes.

Back's Sedge has a mostly northern distribution in the United States and is also known from Canada. In Michigan, it is found throughout much of the western Upper Peninsula, as well as in a handful of mostly northern Lower Peninsula counties. It grows in dry rocky and sandy ground, either in the open or in shade

This is Michigan?

 

 

Round-leaved Orchid (Amerorchis rotundifolia)

Oh yeah, this is Michigan!

More to come from a recent trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula...

As the Summer Wanes, Fens Heat Up

Well, here we are, almost halfway through 2013, and I still haven't posted about some of my 2012 outings.  I'd hoped to get caught up over the winter, but I simply don't have the time that I used to, and as a result blogging has been and will continue to be pushed to the back burner.  I still hope to blog a bit about the trip that Lindsay and I took to Ecuador and Galapagos in 2012, but that will likely come much later.

 

Tiplady Road Fen

In late September 2012, Lindsay participated in a 50K mud run in Hell, Michigan.  I went along and cheered her on at a few locations, but in between I had some time for botanizing at Tiplady Road Fen.

 

Gentianopsis virgata

One of the jewels of a fen in late September is Lesser Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis virgata).  It was difficult to find open flowers when I arrived, but as it warmed up a bit the flowers opened more.  There was only a brief period of time when the flowers were open with dew drops still on the petals, and I was thrilled to be able to time this right for my photographs.

Lobelia kalmii

I've never had much luck getting good photographs of Kalm's Lobelia (Lobelia kalmii), as the plant is often buried in taller vegetation and my photos end up severely washed out and overexposed.  After finding this diminutive calciphile, I waited until the sun went behind the clouds to snap this photograph, and I was particularly happy with the outcome.

Parnassia glauca

It's always a treat to see Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia glauca), whether in flower or just vegetative.  As seen in the photograph above, the green veins within the five white petals give the flowers an intriguing look.  The leaves also have an interesting appearance, being quite smooth, lime green, and nearly heart shaped; they occur in a basal cluster.  In addition, rarely do you see this species outside of an extremely high quality area.

 

Muhlenbergia glomerata

Time for a grass intermission, right?  The photograph above shows one of my favorite fen grasses, Marsh Timothy (Muhlenbergia glomerata).  I was fortunate to find this one with such a nice blue sky background.  While not a rare plant in fens and springy meadows, Marsh Timothy is never really abundant either.

 

Cirsium muticum

I've probably said it before on this blog, but thistles get a bad rap.  Sure, there are the "bad ones," but there are some good native thistles as well, and the one shown above is one of them.  Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum) is also a "good" thistle because you can actually touch the leaves and the involucre and not bleed as a result.  In fact, because the phyllaries are appressed within the involucre, you can feel the sticky glutinous ridges that are present on each phyllary when you grab the flower head.  Don't try that with the other thistles.

 

Aster novae-angliae

What would late summer be in any habitat without asters?  Fens are certainly no exception, being home to numerous species.  I've chosen to show three here.  Above is my least favorite of the three, New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae).  There's nothing particularly wrong with it, and the deep violet rays add interesting color to the late summer landscape.  I guess it's my least favorite because of its broad use in restorations and native landscaping, where it becomes exceptionally abundant and sometimes even weedy.  As part of a natural landscape, I've never seen it behave that way.

Aster puniceus

Swamp Aster (Aster puniceus), on the other hand, is more appealing to me.  First it isn't as gaudy as New England Aster.  It is also more characteristic of quality areas, though it does hold on in heavily degraded fens. 

Aster umbellatus

And then there's Flat-topped Aster (Aster umbellatus), which occurs in a wide variety of quality natural habitats.  Vegetatively, this is the one that is most frequently misidentified as a goldenrod.  When looking at the flower heads, you may think that it is missing some ray flowers, but that's just the way Flat-topped Aster rolls... its ray flowers are not evenly distributed around the flower head.  I guess another reason I like this one is because it's such a nonconformist in this sense.

Tiplady Road Fen

Fens can be dangerous places.  Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catensis catensis) abound, mounds of Tussock Sedge (Carex stricta) make walking very difficult, you risk going into the muck knee-deep with every step, and Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron radicans) lurks everywhere.  It isn't the large Poison Sumac shrubs, such as the one on the left side of the photograph above (with the bright scarlet leaves) that you necessarily need to worry about, because you can see them... it's the small, knee-high shrubs that are hidden within the grasses and sedges that will get you everytime.

Tiplady Road Fen

I made it out of the fen safely (and somehow on time) to get back to see Lindsay finish her race.  What a great way to spend a late summer day.

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.

Harsen's Island Milkweeds

During the past two weeks, I had the opportunity to spend five days botanizing and doing rare plant surveys with several coworkers in the globally and state imperiled to critically imperiled Lakeplain Wet Prairie and Lakeplain Wet-Mesic Prairie communities on Harsen's Island in St. Clair County, Michigan. These communities have developed on glacial lakeplains and have an impermeable clay layer several feet below the sandy surface layer. This results in inundation in the winter and spring and very dry conditions later in the summer. One of the greatest threats to the remaining lakeplain prairies is invasive species... you can see this impending threat in the photograph below, where there is a dense wall of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) in the background, below the tree line.


Two of the plants of conservation concern that we were looking for on this site were milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). We saw numerous milkweeds on our site, including several common species and both of the rare species.


Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) was one of the common species that we saw. As seen above the blossoms of this milkweed are bubblegum pink... and coincidentally they also smell like bubblegum! With its primary geographic distibution centered in the upper Midwest and New England states, Swamp Milkweed is known from most of the Lower 48, with the exceptions being Mississippi, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. It grows in many different wet plant communities, including wet prairies, emergent marshes, swamp forests, bogs, and along streams and pond margins.


The milkweed above, Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), grows in much drier conditions and often in well-drained sandy soils. You can find this handsome orange-flowered species growing in prairies and savannas as well as along roadsides and on glades throughout the eastern half of the United States and adjacent Canada, as well as in the southwestern United States. Unlike the other milkweeds, which have a white, milky latex, Butterfly Milkweed has clear sap.


Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca, above) was abundant on the site we investigated on Harsen's Island. Although it is an opportunistic native species that grows in heavily degraded areas, Common Milkweed also grows in various prairie types. The corolla of this species can be pink, as in the photograph above, or more cream-colored. Although its North American distribution includes 39 of the states in the contiguous United States, Common Milkweed is most abundantly distributed in the upper Midwest, the Great Lakes states, and New England.

Now for the species of conservation concern...


We saw numerous individuals and populations of Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens). As seen above, the corollas of this State Threatened species are a deeper pink than those of Swamp Milkweed or Common Milkweed, ranging even to reddish or purplish. The center of Purple Milkweed's geographical distribution is Missouri and Illinois, with peripheral populations scattered throughout much of the rest of the eastern United States and Ontario. St. Clair County, Michigan, where Harsen's Island is located, is approaching the northernmost limit of the species' distribution. Purple Milkweed is found in wet prairies, oak savannas, and glades, as well as on woodland borders and in thickets.


We also observed some stunning populations of Sullivant's Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii), also known as Prairie Milkweed. With glabrous, ascending leaves that have a striking pink midvein, the large, pink corollas of this State Threatened milkweed don't need to be present to make a correct identification. Of the species of milkweed discussed in this post, Sullivant's Milkweed has the most narrow geographical distribution, being found in the prairie region of the Great Plains and the Midwest, north into Ontario. As the common name suggests, this attractive milkweed is a prairie obligate.