Today we started with a recording of the
Eastern Spadefoot frog calls that occurred in the flood plain at the beginning of the
week. It really brought back the machine
like calls. One or two frogs was
interesting, but the chorus was incredible.
Bob Walker brought a reading from Daniel
Chamovitz, WHAT A PLANT KNOWS: A Field Guide to the Senses. (New York:
Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2012)
The ramble today was long. Through the Shade Garden out the White Trail
to the power line right of way. Up the
power line right of way to the fence, along the fence to the white trail again
at the deer fence gate, through to the right, past the radiation control site,
down the hill past the wetlands to the White Trail again. Then turning right on the White Trail we went
to the Yellow Trail (cutoff), connected up with the White Trail again. Turning left we followed the White Trail
through the ravine to the Red Trail.
Going left up the Red Trail, connected up with the White Trail, which we
used to return to the Arbor in the lower parking lot.
The day was gorgeous so everyone lingered
over our finds. Right in the Shade
Garden were some native plants: Wild Geranium
(Geranium maculatum), Black Cohosh (Actea racemosa), and Pale Yellow Trillium
(Trillium discolor). The trillium is
restricted in the wild to the Savannah River drainage. Next were Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron
canescens). Followed by the yellow sweet
shrub (Calycanthus floridus) 'Athens.'
Michael Dirr heard of this plant in the Brumby's yard in the Bedgood
neighborhood in Athens. He got a cutting
and developed the cultivar we saw today.
Before leaving the Shade Garden we went by Alumroot (Heuchera villas)
and the sweet spire (Itea virginica).
As we went by the old flower garden we
noted the spiderwort (Trandescantia virginica) and an Iris cultivar blooming. Where we connected up with the White Trail
coming down from the upper parking lot we found One-flowered Hawthorn
(Crataegus uniflora) in bloom. At the
power line right of way, we stopped to admire the Southern (or Small's) ragwort
(Packera anonyma). Up the right of way we
looked for the Annual Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium rosulatum), but they
were closed up and hard to see. Beside
the trail, however, a larger blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium sp) prevailed, but
it was also closed up. The flower of the
day to remember were the robust patches of Nettle-leaf Sage (Salvia
urticifolia). It has opposite nettle
like leaves, and blue to lavender petals, two lipped corolla, upper lip hood
like, and a white stripped lower lip with three lobes. At the relatively dry site where we saw Birdfoot Violet several weeks ago, we discussed the
lichens: Dixie reindeer lichen
(Cladonia subtenuis), Pixie Cups (Cladonia chlorophaea). and British Soldiers
(Cladonia cristatella). Just before
leaving power line, we stopped to discuss Dwarf Cinquefoil (Potentilla
canadensis). One can distinguish it from the Common Cinquefoil (Potentilla
simplex) by the fact that Dwarf Cinquefoil's first flower usually comes off the
axil of the first well developed stem leaf.
The Common Cinquefoil's first flower usually comes of the axil of the
second well developed stem leaf. These
flowers are also known as Five Fingers.
Approaching the radiation site on the other
side of the deer fence, we passed cat's ears (Hypochaeris radicata). Going down the hill we talked about the
blackberry in bloom and the ugly Autumn Olive (Eleagnus umbellata) now
considered to be an invasive plant, but which has been extensively used as wildlife
food and cover. James Miller and Karl
Miller, in their FOREST PLANTS OF THE SOUTHEAST AND THEIR WILDLIFE USES, notes
that the fruit provides food for Northern Bobwhite, Mourning Dove, Ruffed
Grouse,Wild Turkey, and numerous songbirds. The fruit is also consumed by Raccoon,
Stripped Skunk, Virginia Opossum, BlackBear, and other mammals.
Dale discussed the spittle bug. This bug
sucks juice from a plant and obtains more than it needs. The surplus is used as a white foam cover for
the bug to avoid the attack by parasitic wasps.
At the wetland we noted the sedges and
the beginning of cattails and the dried stems of wool grass (Scirpus cyperinus). Turning right on the White Trail there was
lyre-leaf sage (Salvia lyrata), summer bluet (Houstonia purpurea). Needle grass (Piptochaetium avenaceum) was
also in bloom.
Our next stop was for rattlesnake weed
(Hieracium venosum). Then to the
resurrection fern (Polypodium polypodioides).
This fern usually grows on trees, but can grow on rocks. The rock cap fern (Polypodium virginianum)
grows only on rocks. The distinguishing
characteristic is that the resurrection fern stipe (stem to the first leaf) is
densely scaled, whereas the rock cap fern is smooth and green. Turning round we found the first of a number
of deer berry (Vaccinium stamineum) shrubs that had just bloomed overnight. We noted that the leaves of the crane fly
(Tipularia discolor) orchid has now disappeared. The flower will bloom in the summer. At the turn for the yellow trail we discussed
whether a tree there is a Red Mulberry or Basswood tree. The consensus was that it is a Red Mulberry
tree.
At the bridge across the ravine
connecting again the yellow trail with the White Trail, Emily and others found
a plant we never did identify. Here
though we found Solomon plume (Maianthemum racemosa) blooming. Along this stretch of trail through the
ravine we also saw the fertile fronds bearing sporangia of the Christmas Fern (Polystichum
acrostichoides). Just before the next
bridge, tucked in beside a tree trunk was giant chickweed (Stellaria pubera).
As we climbed out of the ravine, green and gold
(Chrysogonum virginianum) was tucked on the backside of a beech tree. After
crossing the power line and returning to the woods we discovered in bud
Pipsissiwa (Chimaphylla maculatum) also known as Spotted Wintergreen.
Turning left up the Red Trail we noted
Rattlesnake Fern (Botrychium virginianum).
Connected up with the White Trail again.
Returned to the deer fence, and then scooted back to the Arbor along the
White Trail.
It was way past time for visiting
Dondero's where we reviewed all the wonderful things we saw. Gary and other birders did spot several Indigo Buntings and a Bluebird. They
also heard a Red-eyed Vireo.
Hugh
