The reading this
week, a poem by Walt Whitman (1819-1892), was provided by Hugh Nourse:
The Dalliance of the Eagles
SKIRTING the
river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest,)
Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,
The rushing amorous contact high in space together,
The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,
Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,
In tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling,
Till o'er the river pois'd, the twain yet one, a moment's lull,
A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,
Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight,
She hers, he his, pursuing.
Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,
The rushing amorous contact high in space together,
The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,
Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,
In tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling,
Till o'er the river pois'd, the twain yet one, a moment's lull,
A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,
Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight,
She hers, he his, pursuing.
This morning we took the White trail to the power line
cut, turned left and went downhill to a Trumpet Vine and then returned uphill,
pausing to examine some insects where the White trail enters the woods. Then we
continued up the power line to the fence, turned left, following the fence to
the White trail and returned in the woods back to the Arbor.
The Trumpet Vine (also called Trumpet Creeper),
Campsis radicans, has conspicuous red trumpet-shaped flowers – just right for
attracting hummingbirds. But pollinators are not the only animals attracted to
these flowers. Careful examination will reveal numerous ants hanging out on the
surface of the flower buds and, later in the season, on the surface of the
long, bean shaped seed pods. The ants are in search of nectar, but not from
inside the flower. The nectar they find is secreted by the plant on the surface
of the flower buds and the seed pods. These “extrafloral nectaries” are thought
to attract ants to defend the plant from attack by herbivorous insects and
especially those that might try to eat the developing seeds. There is currently
no direct evidence that this is the case for the Trumpet Vine, but many other
plants have extrafloral nectarines and in some of these the evidence for ant
defense is quite good.
Walking up the hill we passed a stand of very healthy
Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana, with
a developing inflorescence. Most parts of this plant are poisonous, but the
young shoots and leaf tips can be eaten if properly prepared (boiling with at
least two changes of water).
Where the White trail
enters the woods we found several different types of insects feeding on the
freshly emerged leaves of a Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera). Viewing them
with a hand lens is an exciting experience. We saw aphids and the nymphal
stages of a treehopper as well as several forms with fuzzy, waxy secretions
that conceal part of their bodies. (Yesterday I found a aphid lion, the larval
stage of the Green Lacewing (Chrysopa sp.). It has sickle-shaped jaws that
pierce the skin of its aphid prey and suck them dry. It then sticks the husks
of its victims on its back, apparently to serve as camouflage.) Lacewings are
Neuropterans, related to Doodlebugs.
It took us over an hour to walk up the rest of the
power line to the fence, there were so many plants in bloom – summer has
finally arrived! Perhaps it’s best to just list the plants seen:
Common Name
|
Scientific name
|
Rose Pink
|
Sabatia angularis
|
Yellow Star
Grass
|
Hypoxis hirsuta
|
Stiff-haired
Sunflower
|
Helianthus hirsutus
|
Curly Milkweed,
Bluntleaf Milkweed
|
Asclepius amplexicaulis
|
Spinypod Milkvine
|
Matelea decipiens
|
Bitterweed, Sneezeweed
|
Helenium amarum
|
Sensitive Brier
|
Mimosa microphylla
|
Deptford Pink
|
Dianthus armeria
|
Carolina Wild
Petunia
|
Ruellia carolinensis
|
Pineweed
|
Hypericum gentianoides
|
Wild Bergamot
|
Monarda fistulosa
|
Whorled
Coreopsis
|
Coreopsis major
|
White Horsemint
|
Pycnanthemum incanum
|
Common Yellow
Wood Sorrel
|
Oxalis stricta
|
Common Mullein
|
Verbascum thaspus
|
Longleafed
Bluet
|
Houstonia longifolia
|
Leafy-stemmed False Dandelion
|
Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
|
The Wild Bergamot was especially abundant.
As we wandered up the path we met several Botanical
Garden workers engaged in plant rescue efforts. This part of the Garden is
being converted to a Piedmont Prairie and the initial steps involve removal of
much of the broad leaved herbaceous vegetation. (This means, in large part, the
Wingstems that grow so abundantly in the power line cut. We’ll miss their
colorful yellow and white flowers that provide masses of color during the
summer before the goldenrod and ironweed begin blooming.)
Finally, into the woods to cool off and look for
mushrooms! And there were mushrooms galore, especially Chanterelles which
glowed orange against the light and dark browns of the leaf litter. Besides the
Chanterelles we encountered Amanitas and Russulas as well as others that
perplexed us. We need an experience mushroom collected to join us some time and
give us a little guidance.
On the way back we noticed the fruits of two plants
in the shade garden: Camellia and Sweet Shrub. Both surprised us – none of us
had ever seen the fruits of these plants before.
Then it was on to Donderos’ for iced beverages and
the reconstruction of the list of plants we had observed.
Note: There will be no Nature Ramble next week (next
Thursday falls on July 4). Hope to see you all again on July 11.
