Steele Prairie State Preserve Wildflowers

Over the 2014 and 2015 growing seasons, Mary Damm and I conducted a plant inventory at T.H. Steele Prairie State Preserve for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  In addition to the few photos below, I put together a short slideshow that can be viewed here.


Allium stellatum

Liatris pycnostachya

Asclepias sullivantii

Sorghastrum nutans

 

Asclepias exaltata

When most people think of milkweed habitat, they think of prairie or old field areas.  Asclepias exaltata defies that logic, growing in woodlands and forests. 

Asclepias exaltata, June 8, 2014, Starved Rock State Park, LaSalle County, Illinois

Asclepias ovalifolia

Asclepias ovalifolia is a milkweed of prairies, barrens, savannas, and open woodlands in the Upper Midwest.

Asclepias ovalifolia

See my recent post at Through Handlens and Binoculars for more information on this and other milkweeds.

Post number 500!

Presenting GYBO post number 500! In celebration, here are my top 10 favorite photos. Probably all of them were posted sometime earlier. Thanks to all who visit and comment, and thanks to all who have posted here. Special thanks to Ben and Scott for setting up this group blog.

Interrupted Fern, Porter County, Indiana

Bloodroot, LaPorte County, Indiana

Blue-Eyed Mary, LaPorte County, Indiana

Cleft Phlox, Lake County, Indiana

Bluehearts, Lake County, Indiana

Prairie Brome, Lake County, Indiana

Nieuwland's Blazing Star, Lake County, Indiana

Yellow Lady's Slipper, Lake County, Indiana

Sullivant's Milkweed, Lake County, Indiana

Wild Columbine, Marshall County, Indiana

Prairie Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii)

Photographed at Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve in Lake County, Indiana. This is one of many sites that our friend Myrna was instrumental in saving!

Great Lakes Oak Savannas

I've spent most of the last week in the sandy soil oak savannas of northwest Indiana and northwest Ohio. Here are a few photos from my recent travels.


The photograph above is typical of the east-west oriented dune and swale (also called swell and swale) formations in northwest Indiana. This topography is the result of glacial Lake Michigan slowly retreating after an outlet formed in the Valparaiso Moraine that had previously served as the southern boundary of the lake. The dunes (or swell) are characterized by savanna and sand prairie; the swales consist of shrub swamps and emergent marshes. I was in this part of the state last week to complete surveys for federally endangered Karner Blue Butterflies.

The flora in the Oak Openings region of northwest Ohio bares a striking resemblance to that of northwest Indiana, though this region lacks the higher dunes and organized swell and swale pattern found in northwest Indiana. The Oak Openings region formed as glacial Lake Warren receeded after the last ice age. The resulting plant communities consist of sand prairie, savanna, and wet prairie. Disturbances including fire, natural hydrological fluctuations, and impacts from macrofauna kept these plant communities from undergoing succession and becoming forests. Today, we lack the macrofauna and instead have to rely on bulldozers and ATVs to create disturbances necessary to keep the wet sand flats like that shown below from undergoing succession. Areas like this harbor numerous rare plants found nowhere else in the state. I was in the Oak Openings region for the Michigan Botanical Club's annual spring foray.


Lupinus perennis ssp. perennis var. occidentalis (Wild Lupine, below) is blooming right now and is a common component in the sand prairies and oak savannas. This species is found throughout the Great Lakes states and along the east coast of the United States.


Often, Lupinus perennis ssp. perennis var. occidentalis is found in association with Lithospermum caroliniense var. croceum (Carolina Puccoon), as in the photograph below. Lithospermum caroliniense var. croceum is known from a large area through North America ranging from Ontario to Colorado to Arakansas to New York.


Another species of dry sandy soils in prairies, savannas, fields, and sand blowouts is Asclepias amplexicaulis (Clasping Milkweed), shown below. Plants of this species that I saw in northwest Indiana had not yet begun to flower when I saw them last week; however, this plant in the Oak Openings had begun to bloom. Asclepias amplexicaulis is known from most of the eastern half of North America.


In sand blowouts in northwest Indiana, I came across Hudsonia tomentosa (Woolly Beachheather, below). This species, known from most of the northeastern half of North America, is considered threatened in Indiana and extirpated from Ohio. Throughout its range, Hudsonia tomentosa grows in beaches, pine woods, and barrens, and on sand hills.


Lastly, in an oak savanna at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, we saw Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (Greater Yellow Lady's Slipper, below). Although it is known from most of North America, Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens is a species of concern in many states, and always provides a thrill. You can find this showy orchid in a variety of habitats including forest, savanna, prairie, and fen.

Land of Flowers 3

I think I should make a disclaimer similarly to another writer, "All identifications guaranteed wrong, or your money back." Here is my best shot, using google and plants database. Feel more than free to add corrections. I have tons of flower pictures from Florida, but very little time at the end of the day to process them. Asclepias lanceolata
This milkweed was growing in a sunny, wetland setting in Citrus County, FL. It had opposite, linear leaves. And very striking flowers. My little Indiana-educated mind only knew of Butterfly Weed for Orange Asclepias.
Clematis baldwinii
These funny little flowers were growing in a dry, sandy soil in Levy County, FL. To be more accurate, the fruits were funny-looking, the flowers just looked like an upstanding clematis. It was cool to see a non-viny Clematis.
Cnidosculus urens
This is a very common, weedy flower throughout Florida. I never reached down to touch it, or I would have learned it's common name very easily. I always think Laportea or Urtica whenever someone says 'Stinging Nettle', but I can make room. I had better pictures of the Cnidosculus, but I liked the Gulf Frittilary underwings.
Erythrina herbacea
This Fabaceous flower is very striking and looks like it belongs in a tropical greenhouse. I hear that it gets tall, but everyone we have seen (and it doesn't seem rare at all) is under 4 feet.
Euphorbia heterophylla
We were walking down the side of a highway in Martin County, FL, when I looked down and saw this Poinsettia. It used to be called Poinsettia at one point. I know they have to live somewhere, but it is crazy to see a native Poinsettia growing wild. They seemed to either like disturbance, or just the conditions on the side of the highway.
Mimosa microphylla
From highway speed, these flowers looked like wrong clover. Closer and slower, they are remarkable flowers. They seem to prefer right-of-ways.
Sacoila lanceolata
I kind of liked having this in Spiranthes, not the least because I can remember Spiranthes, but I can see that it is a bit different than the others. We saw several of these in Okeechobee County, FL, all in cattle pastures that weren't too heavily grazed. It is very tall (maybe 18" or so) and showy, and can be spotted while driving.

The hazards of flash photography!

Bottlebrush Grass (Hystrix patula or Elymus hystrix)

Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella)

Humongous Hoods

One of the plants that I wanted to see while in Colorado was Asclepias speciosa. While this native species is nothing more than a roadside weed around Boulder, it is certainly worthy of its common name, Showy Milkweed, as you will see below.


One reason why I wanted to see this species is because it is known from the Chicago Region, along a few railroad tracks, where it is considered introduced. I wanted to make sure that if I ever ran into it, I wouldn't confuse it for Asclepias syriaca. No way. Look at those hoods! They're enormous - over a centimeter long, in fact. In milkweeds, the hoods are the parts of the flower that arch upwards. The corolla lobes are reflexed. The horns are the incurved appendages coming out of the hoods.

In Asclepias speciosa, the pedicels, peduncles, backs of the corolla lobes, and the upper stems are densely white hairy, another character than can be used to distinguish between this and similar species.

Asclepias speciosa is found throughout the western half of the United States, as well as in Minnesota and a few counties in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. It is typically a grassland species, but can also be found in riparian areas and in savannas with small trees.

Random Plants From The Indiana Dunes

Harebell is occasional in those few Black Oak savanna remnants that still have a little sunlight getting in, and abundant on thinly wooded foredunes near Lake Michigan. Its thin stems allow it to dance on the breeze - rather delightful until you attempt to get a photo. Cauline leaves are linear - the species name refers to basal leaves that are somewhat round in outline, though in my view they tend to be reniform.

Campanula rotundifolia (Harebell)

The French fur trappers called this little subshrub "Petit The Des Bois," meaning "Little Tea of the Woods."

Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen, Teaberry)

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) and Honey Bee

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed) and Honey Bee

Symbiosis at Cressmoor Prairie

The amazing dedication, hard work, and financial contributions of people at the Shirley Heinze Land Trust make scenes like these possible. Plants and animals are surviving and hopefully flourishing! All three photos are from Sunday, July 12 at Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve in Hobart. It is Indiana's largest remnant of black soil prairie!

Asclepias sullivantii (Prairie Milkweed)

and

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamont) and Silver-Spotted Skipper

Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) and Great Golden Digger Wasp

Foto Phun

Here are some fun photos!!

I have been photographing every species of Asclepias I can find, in prepartion for the slide show. I am up to 7 species. Here is Asclepias variegata from Wayne County, MO. The flowers are white with a band of purple-pink around the middle.


Campsis radicans blooming on the side of my house. It volunteered and we haven't interfered. Campsis means "curvature", in reference to the stamens and radicans, of course, means "rooting", in reference to its habit. Fernald has "Cow-itch" as a common name for this species. I can't imagine the source.


Here is one of our more jazzy spring wildflowers in Missouri; Monarda bradburiana. The stems are unbranched and the leaves are sessile. Named in honor of John Bradbury (1768-1823) who collected plants with Thomas Nuttall while retracing the steps of Lewis and Clark in 1809-1811. In December of 1811, he sent the specimens he collected back to England on a freighter. He left the next day on the passenger boat. He was in New Madrid during the earthquake of 1811 and was delayed several weeks due to the devastation. By the time he made it to New Orleans, the war of 1812 broke out and he was detained for 5 years due to hostility between the US and Great Britian. When he finally made it home, he found that Fredrick Pursh, the scoundrel that he was, had broken into his specimens and described them all!! Robbed of his scientific glory, he returned to America and never took up botany again. I often raise a glass in honor of John Bradbury, and all the John Bradburys of the world.