Plant Quiz - Scott is a Winner!

Good call Scott. It is Diervilla lonicera, the native Dwarf Honeysuckle. I don't think there's a shrub in North America that Scott and Justin don't know at a glance, even vegetatively!

Plant Quiz

The only clues are in the photo. Good luck!

Plant quiz - Keith nails it.

Hi all. Thanks to Justin and Scott for telling me about this awesome blog, and thanks to Ben for setting me up as a contributor. I am a plant ecologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. I get to spend my summers traipsing through the woods and training budding botanists to identify every plant they see, no matter how small or vegetative. I love it, and I'm not likely to get bored anytime soon, trying to learn all the plants in the Missouri Ozarks!

I photographed this specimen on November 1st of this year, in a dry-mesic woodland about a 1/2 mile from the Current River in Shannon County. Associated plants include Asimina triloba and Asarum canadense. It has a taproot. No odor.

Justin and Scott may NOT participate in this quiz: Justin identified the mystery plant for me at the botany slideshow.

Keith gave the very first guess and nailed it... it is the fall foliage of the biennial Osmorhiza claytonii, getting ready to bloom in spring. Obviously I'll have to pick a harder one next!

Botany Slideshow Extravaganza - A Recap

The 8th Annual Botany Slideshow Extravaganza took place in Salem, Missouri on 6-7 November 2009. Here, I will attempt to provide a recap of this outstanding event for those of you who couldn't make it. Every year, the slideshow gets better, and this year's event certainly followed this trend.

Lindsay, Bootypants, and I drove to Salem on Thursday afternoon so that we could be there for a new addition to the extravaganza, the pre-slideshow field trip.

We joined Bryn, John, and Rilo and Dana, Justin, and Eli for a trip to Cave Spring in Shannon County, Missouri. Our ~5 mile hike to the cave and back took us through a variety of plant communities, where we saw a diversity of plants highlighted by the late-flowering asters and goldenrods.

We were also treated to great views from dolomite bluffs of the Current River. A few small dolomite glades were also encountered.

Cave Spring itself was very interesting. We were only able to go a short way into the cave before it was too dark to see, and the muddy, slippery substrate made footing unstable at best.

Very near to the cave itself were two of the biggest healthy Ulmus americana individuals that any in our group had ever seen. In the photograph to the right, I am between a Platanus occidentalis on the left and a 36" DBH U. americana on the right.

We had beautiful weather for the hike, and were fortunate enough to see an adult Bald Eagle soaring overhead while we were admiring Cave Spring.

Susan and Dan arrived on Saturday afternoon, and then Dana and Justin led us on a tour of their property. We saw numerous interesting plants (including 5 species of Andropogon), and heard about Dana and Justin's plans for maintaining and restoring the property. Other attendees, including Andrew, Doug, Paul, and Allison trickled in; then, it was time for the main event.

Unfortunately, my photos of the slides shown below don't do justice to the quality of the slides or the presentations. As they always say, you just had to be there.

Justin led off the slideshows by explaining to everyone how much he and I happen to love socks, and how our hosiery infatuation took us to Fort Payne, Alabama in the spring of 2009. After several hilarious slides about socks, Justin got into the meat of his presentation about the plants that the two of us saw on Trillium Tromp 2009 in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.

Susan was next to present, adding a more technical aspect to our event by discussing work she is doing to determine the difference between vegetative plants of Zizia aptera and Thaspium trifoliatum. For those of you familiar with these two taxa, you know how much of a pain they are to distinguish as seedlings, but Susan really seems to be onto something.

Dan's presenentation on rare plants found on National Park Service property in 2009 was next. This presentation included lots of great photos of beautiful rarities.

I was next to present, and showed slides of the trip that Lindsay and I took to Colorado in July 2009, focusing on the Montane, Subalpine, and Alpine life zones. As I told the group, even after spending time in the cloudforest and rainforest in Costa Rica and Peru, the alpine tundra is still probably my favorite life zone of those that I've seen to date.

Doug's lively presentation had several themes, including Belize, lichens, and the delicate beauty of grass stamens. We were honored to have Doug in attendence, and his presentation raised the bar for botany slideshow quality.

This year's slideshow quiz was presented by Dana. After relaxing all night and enjoying slides of beautiful plants, this slideshow made us all think as we tried to identify all of the plants that Dana showed us. As always, major botanical prizes were awarded following this slideshow.

Paul and Allison then showed informal slideshows of their recent trip to quality natural areas in Texas and Louisiana, followed by even more informal slideshows by Justin and me. There was plenty of plant talk, and we looked at numerous pressed plant specimens. We were also treated to a tremendous pulled pork dinner with all the fixings during the slideshow.

I think the final slide of Doug's slideshow pretty much sums it up...

Special thanks goes out to Dana and Justin for hosting the best botany slideshow yet. I can't wait to see how we can possibly make it even better next year.

Quiz Time!! JohnnyHank Nails It!!

JohnnyHank says it is Strophostyles helvula. Librarian or not, that is the right answer. Here is a photograph of the flower.

Some of you may be asking yourself "Doesn't Strophostyles helvula have lobate lateral leaflets?". That is where I was a bit tricky. This is actually S. helvula var. missouriensis which lacks the lobes on the lateral leaflets (the typical variety has lobed leaflets).

Vegetatively the genus Strophostyles can be distinguish from Amphicarpaea bracteata, which it most resembles, by its erect stipules. Amphicarpaea looks exactly like Strophostyles helvula var. missouriensis but has appressed stipules. By clicking on the photo above you can see the stipules in the enlarged version. They are perpendicular to the stem.

Lesson learned; Librarians make great botanist. If only it worked both ways.

Thanks to everyone for playing!

What's This? Justin Knows!

I recently posted this photograph as a plant quiz...


It is difficult to post a quiz on this blog that lasts more than a day without an answer. Justin correctly identified the mystery seedling in the photograph above as Penthorum sedoides. Ditch Stonecrop, as it is commonly known, is native to wet meadows, marshes, ditches, and muddy shores throughout the eastern half of North America, and has been introduced in the Pacific Northwest. Once accepted as a member of the family Saxifragaceae, it seems that most authorities now place this interesting plant in the family Crassulaceae; some even put it the Penthoraceae. As this species matures, it produces greenish-white, inconspicuous flowers; the flowers develop into attractive reddish follicles with spreading beaks, shown below. Penthorum means "five-mark," a reference to the five-parted flowers, and sedoides means "resembling Sedum."

Nice work, Justin.

Diplazium pycnocarpon, formerly Athyrium pycnocarpon

Good call, Scott and John! Diplazium pycnocarpon it is, also known as Glade Fern or Narrow-leaved Spleenwort. In northern Indiana this exceedingly rare native grows in rich mesophytic woods, in deep humus and deep shade. It has a special affinity for those rich riparian bottoms that don't get scoured bare by filthy water gushing in torrents from denuded uplands every time it rains. Fertile blades are rare and emerge in late summer.

Henry David Thoreau said, "Nature made ferns for pure leaves, to show what she could do in that line." Well said, and noted!

Plant Quiz

Photo from mesic woods in mid-summer. Good luck!

Wild Geranium - White-Flowered Form

Just for fun, this is Geranium maculatum L. forma albiflorum (Raf.) House. It was photographed in low woods in Porter County, Indiana in 2008. Interesting that one of the flowers has 6 petals.

Deadly Predator

Can you spot the deadly predator?

Bottle Gentian, Gentiana andrewsii

When sorting photos I'm always surprised to notice a detail I hadn't seen in the field. The little spider waits for a bee to land, and it makes me wonder how many Bottle Gentians and other tubular flowers have spiders waiting inside. On a few occasions I have found a tubular flower with a dead bee half in and half out. It doesn't seem like such a tiny spider would have enough venom to bring down a large bee, and that makes me wonder, does a bee ever fly away with a spider latched onto it?

Rat-eating Pitcher Plant

What the.... ?!?!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6041241/Rat-eating-plant-discovered-in-Philippines.html

http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-08/newly-discovered-plant-species-eats-rats-named-after-famous-naturalist

Maybe someday we will find a pitcher plant that can trap White-tailed Deer!

Slide Show Rejects - Corallorhiza

The eighth annual botany slide show is rapidly approaching, and in preparation I have been going through photos from our trip to Colorado this July. My slide show will highlight the montane, subalpine, and alpine communities that we saw in central and northcentral Colorado.


Until now, I hadn't posted many of the photos from our trip, as I wasn't sure which photos I was going to include in my slide show and I didn't want to spoil my show for those in attendance. Now that I've picked the photos for my presentation, I will start displaying some of the rejects here and at Through Handlens and Binoculars.

This is Corallorhiza trifida (Yellow Coralroot), a bit past its prime. We saw this saprophytic subalpine orchid along the Missouri Lakes trail at Holy Cross Wilderness.

Corallorhiza trifida is typically self-pollinating. It is circumboreal, found in a variety of habitats including swamps and coniferous, deciduous, and mixed woods.

Corallorhiza striata (Hooded or Striped Coralroot), pictured directly above and below, is an orchid of deep, moist woods.

We stumbled upon this unique orchid at Hanging Lake preserve, which is located along the Continental Divide near Glenwood Springs. It was growing in a mixed woods that had a remarkably eastern feel to it.

A Final Gasp

The 70 degree temperatures in northern Indiana today were likely our last taste of summer for quite some time. As I walked the trails on our property after work, most of the plant species that I couldn't wait to see flowering just a few short months ago were long gone, dormant until the winter doldrums are once again melted away by vernal verses. Only a few hardy species are still in flower.

Trifolium pratense (Red Clover)

Taraxacum officinale (Common Dandelion)

Aster pilosus (Hairy Aster)

Aster simplex (Panicled Aster)

On a related note, Tony told me that today he saw Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold) in bloom near Logansport, Indiana, four months outside of its flowering time either way you look at it.

The hazards of flash photography!

Bottlebrush Grass (Hystrix patula or Elymus hystrix)

Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella)

"Of Woods and Other Things," quotes by Emma Pitcher

I just started re-reading Emma Pitcher’s book, “Of Woods and Other Things” (Beech Leaf Press, Kalamazoo, 1996), and already there are quotes that must be shared. It’s a small collection of essays written for the layman and submitted to a local newspaper in conjunction with The Kalamazoo Nature Center. "Bickie" Pitcher was a renowned naturalist in the Indiana Dunes region before moving to Michigan.

Emma Pitcher Quotes:

“Nature writing of necessity involves two delightful occupations: roaming around wild places observing flora and fauna and later poring over relevant books attempting to learn more. In such pleasant ways do naturalists grope toward understanding. Questions always remain – leading to the next foray. Fortunately, the learning never ends.”

“… the nostalgic, somewhat dreamy whistle of an unseen migrating white-throated sparrow on a misty spring morning, a sound that sets blood a stirring in birdwatchers everywhere.”

“…when the flute-like ee oh lay of the wood thrush sounds through the woods, I drop everything to treasure each crystalline note.”

“One of the most astonishing all-time banding records is that of an Arctic tern found dead on the same Maine island where he had been banded thirty-four years earlier. At 25,000 migratory miles flown in a year, this tern weighing four ounces flew 850,000 in its lifetime.”

“A white-throated sparrow, that bird of haunting, ethereal whistles…”

[Ah, yes, my favorite quote of all time from any author]: "...pale satiny yellow breasts and dark velvety smudges around eyes are apparent." [I'm basking in the beauty of the image this evokes... of Cedar Waxwings].

“In winter, tough, scaly fringes grow on toe edges of the feet of ruffed grouse, serving as unique snow shoes. These drop off in spring…. Like willow ptarmigan, these grouse will spend cold winter nights in a snow bank.”

“A family of barred owls lived near me and one often hooted from the big pine just outside my bedroom window. It was a scary but delightful experience to be wakened by that call of the wild just ten feet from my bed.”

[Re: barred owls]: “Invisible ears are cavities in lower sides of the head covered with loose-ribbed feathers that can spread to form funnels.”

[Re: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird]: “… when a thumb-sized ruby-throated leaves for South America in fall, this wee being makes an extraordinary 500-mile nonstop flight across the Gulf of Mexico from the tip of Florida to the coast of Yucatan. Miracle? Yes.”

[Re: Blue Jays]: “When they do migrate, they move by day. On April28, 1981, 2,210 were observed flying eastward along the Lake Michigan shore east of Gary, Indiana.”

[Re: Blue Jays]: “Edward H. Forbush tells of jays not only feeding and guarding an old, partly blind jay, but also leading it to water. Who would have expected compassion from this often aggressive intruder?”

[Re: Black-Capped Chickadees]: In cold weather they become totally round, fluffing feathers to almost twice their normal size, thereby trapping air as insulation. One morning at twenty-five degrees below zero, I saw inflated chickadees covered with hoarfrost crystals, dazzling in the sunlight.”

[Re: Cedar Waxwings]: “Sometimes wing tips contain a bright red wax-like substance visible only at close range. The function of those waxy droplets is unknown.”

The botany section of the book is fast approaching...

Pteris multifida (Pteridaceae)

While conducting an invasive species survey at Hot Springs National Park in west central Arkansas, I ran into this interesting fern.
It is called Pteris multifida and it is in the Pteridaceae (Maidenhair Fern Family). Other more familiar genera in the family are Adiantum, Cheilanthes and Pellaea. In Pteris, as other members of the family, the indusia (structures covering the sori) consists of revolute margins. You can see this in the photo of the lower frond surface below.

Sadly, this charismatic fern is not native to North America. It is an Asian species that is sold as a cultivated plant. Like many other cultivated plants, it escapes containers and yards and establishes itself in places native plants could potentially colonize. This specimen was growing on a dripping ledge near one of only two uncapped hot springs. There is a large population of Pteris here growing adjacent to a small population of the native Adiantum capillus-verneris. This is symptomatic of the Hot Springs area in general where total habitat alteration and rapidly colonizing invasive species have left little room or hope for naturally functioning ecosystems.

That's One Odd Fungus

While I was finding a decent flowering specimen of Aster linariifolius (Flax-leaved Aster) to take a photo of yesterday at Miller Woods in Lake County, Indiana, "Agrimony" Tony was busy finding the oddest looking species of fungus that I've ever seen.


This is Hericium erinaceus, commonly known as Lion's Mane or Tooth Fungus. Edible when young, this mushroom is said to have the texture of octopus or squid. It is often found on fallen logs from fall into the winter; in this case, it was growing from a wound at the base of a Quercus velutina (Black Oak) tree. Another common name for this species is Old Man's Beard.


This last common name is pretty descriptive, I think. See what you think...


Okay, Justin's beard is more of a flocculose tomentum, but still...

Thanks to Dr. Don Ruch for verification of my identification of this fungus.

Triosteum perfoliatum

I am pretty sure this is Late Horse Gentian, since all of the leaves were perfoliate. Or as S&W says 'middle leaves pandurate, narrowed below the middle, dialated and clasping-connate at the base.' The fruits were very attractive, with their color and geometric arrangement around the stem. I found these in an open woodland in Henry County, Indiana. Triosteum is an herbaceous member of the Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae) family.

Snake Identification Help

Can someone ID this wild beast so I can label the photos correctly? It was in dry Black Oak savannah just above a wet swale in Gary, Indiana. Thanks. Super skinny - about 15 mm in diameter and close to 1 meter in length..

Scott's Favorite Shrub: Poison Sumac

This rather beautiful shrub can be the source of great misery for those who are sensitive to it. The rash and itching are severe...extremely, profoundly severe. If Scott N. finds out you are sensitive to Poison Sumac, he will take you to places where it grows by the hundreds of thousands. And after you limbo and crawl under it for 3 or 4 miles, he'll casually let you know "they have rattlesnakes here."

Poison Sumac - Rhus vernix