Flax-leaved Aster

Flax-leaved Aster starts to flower pretty early for an aster, usually in late August. The leaves are very narrow and have scratchy-scabrous hairs, giving them an interesting feel. Look for this beautiful native in sandy black oak savannas in northern Indiana. Photographed on September 2, 2014 in Starke County, Indiana.  

A YouTube Video

Depicting all of Indiana's native orchids as accounted for in Orchids of Indiana by Mike Homoya

This video represents more than eight years of orchid hunting and photography of Indiana's native orchids. It includes six species now considered to be extirpated from the state. Three of those were photographed by me in Michigan, Ohio, and Washington. The remaining three by friends in Michigan and Ohio, Aaron Strouse, and Andrew Lane Gibson. Derek Luchik contributed the photo of Spiranthes ochroleuca.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-LbyIDGhoM

 

 

With Botanical Royalty

On Friday before the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society (INPAWS) Annual Conference in Bloomington, Indiana, I made a stop at the Indiana University Herbarium.  I knew that Paul Rothrock and Jerry Wilhelm would be there, and I'd planned on going through some specimens with them for a few hours on Friday afternoon.  That great opportunity was made even better when I arrived and found that Roger Hedge and Lee Casebere were also spending the afternoon in the herbarium!  A bit later, Michael Huft and Charlotte Gyllenhaal showed up.  What a day!

 

At Indiana University Herbarium. Back row from left: Paul Rothrock, Jerry Wilhelm, Roger Hedge, Scott Namestnik; front row from left: Lee Casebere, Michael Huft.  Photo by Charlotte Gyllenhaal.