Twenty five people gathered on this beautiful, spring-like
day. Apparently our
collective chattering as we caught up with old
acquaintances we hadn't seen since last Thanksgiving made such a din that it
upset a nearby Fish Crow (see below).
 |
| Ramblers at Bridge |
Todays route:
From the parking lot we took the sidewalk across the International Bridge and continued on to take the Purple Trail. From the Purple Trail we took the Orange Trail spur and then walked over to the Flower Garden, across the gazebo bridge, and down the spur to the Orange Trail. We then went a short distance to the right (towards the river) to check out the hepaticas and then back up the Orange Trail to the upper parking lot and Visitor Center.
Near the
International bridge the buds of the Wild azalea (Rhododendron canescens) were beginning to swell and, nearby, a Japanese
apricot (Prunus mume) cultivar had several branches with flowers.
Further along is a
group of three Florida Yews (Taxus
floridana), two of which have retained a memory of growing horizontally;
only one is erect.
Along this section of
the ramble we were entertained by a very vocal Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) apparently making fun of our efforts to identify
plants without leaves. Instead of the "caw-caw" of the American Crow
the Fish Crow call is a nasal "eh-uh." This vocalization is the
easiest way to distinguish the two crow species. They differ in size, the Fish
Crow being smaller, but the difference is subtle and without a side-by-side comparison
most people can't identify them. (And the never stand next to each other
anyway.) Fish Crows are usually here only in summer, so these have probably
just come back.
 |
| Leucodon sp. moss |
We stopped to look at
moss growing on the trunk of a Winged Elm. This turned out to be a Hook Moss (Leucodon sp.) which is distinguished
from the similar appearing Fan Moss (Forsstroemia
sp.) by having no branches. Both species curl upward.
We also noted a Poison
Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) vine on
white oak (Quercus alba) and, nearby,
a small American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
with long, gangly grape vine (Vitis
sp.). Vines are hard to identify when there are no leaves present, but Poison
Ivy vines have numerous dark, short rootlets that anchor the vine to its host
tree, making the vine look "hairy."
 | |
| Hornbeam Disk Mushrooms |
We stopped to look at
an American Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya
virginiana) we have seen many times. This individual is a favorite with a
local Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius),
a kind of woodpecker -- it is covered with sap wells that have been drilled by
the bird or birds over the years. With the warming weather of the last few days
the sap has begun to flow and several of the wells were actively weeping sap.
This tree also has many tiny Hornbeam Disk Mushrooms (Aleurodiscis oakseii) growing
on its bark and a Slug was present on the wet sap saturated bark. The Sapsucker
not only drinks the sap from the wells it has drilled it also feeds on the
insects that are attracted to the sweet, syrupy fluid.
 | |
| Mosses on disturbed soil |
Mosses are often
found growing on the disturbed soils adjacent to the trails in the garden and
here we found a large mound of red clay "soil" with two different
moss species growing together. Bob Walker, who is becoming our moss expert,
identified them as Slender Starburst Moss or sausage moss (Atrichum angustatum) and Rug Moss (Eurhynchiastrum pulchellum).
Orange Trail
Spur to Flower Gardens:
We paused at a newly
planted Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
whle Hugh told us about an insect, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, that is
destroying hemlocks in the northeast and the Appalachians. (An adelgid is
similar to an aphid.)
Further along we saw
several Swamp Hibiscus plants with interesting seed pods and, crossing the
bridge, a Black Willow (Salix nigra)
tree that we have seen when it had leaves and could be more easily identified.
Also on the bridge just before the gazebo is a large vine, possibly a trumpet
vine. Without the leaves the vines are difficult to identify. The lesson for us
is to pay more attention to the stems when they have leaves.
Gazebo
Bridge to Orange Trail
 | ||
| Pincushion Moss |
Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum glaucoma) was seen along
trial right after leaving the bridge.
 | |
| Wild Ginger |
We found the leaf of Wild
Ginger/Little Brown Jugs (Hexastylis
arifolia), but it was too early to find the flowers (the little brown jugs)
that hide in the duff at the base of the plant. Here we found the first two
leaves of a Crossvine (Bignonia
capreolata) and several leaves of Crane Fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor). It has leaves that are pleated, green on top
and purple underneath. It bears repeating that the Crane Fly Orchid leaf is out
only during the winter. Emerging near the beginning of fall, it will wither
away by the end of spring and the flowering shoot will
emerge later in the
summer. This is a very peculiar growth pattern that is not shared by many other
plants. By producing a leaf during winter it escapes insect herbivores and has
clear access to the sun because the canopy trees have lost their leaves. But
the cold temperatures of winter limit the rate of photosynthesis, so there is a
downside to Tipularia's strategy.
 |
| Split Gill Mushroom |
Continuing along the
Orange spur trail we found the common Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) and, of course, more posion ivy. This
section of the trail has a lot of downed wood and Don pointed out very young
specimens of Common Split Gill Mushroom (Schizophyllum
commune) starting to grow on it.
Hugh raised the question
“When do the beech trees lose their leaves?” Is it before the new leaves emerge
from the buds or do the new leaves push the old leaves off? No one knew the
answer. We will watch for this on future rambles.
Orange Trail:
 |
| Round lobed Hepatica |
At the bridge we saw
the first Round Lobed Hepaticas (Anemone
americana) and John Burroughs was right (see reading). More hepaticas were
seen in bloom both downstream from the bridge as well as upstream.
Also at the bridge
was a Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana)
hosting two vines, a poison ivy vine and Climbing Hydrangea (Decumaria barbara).
A nearby boulder had
an interesting moss growing alonside a Smokey Eye Boulder Lichen (Porpidia albocaeralescens).
Ed Wilde noticed a very invasive plant, Elaeagnus umbellata, also known as
Japanese silverberry, umbellata oleaster, autumn olive, autumn elaeagnus, or
spreading oleaster, and told us why this plant is such a problem. Unlike most
shrubs it hosts nitrogen fixing bacteria in its roots and this makes it a
strong competitor capable of displacing native plants in nutrient-poor soils.
Further up the Orange
Trail from the bridge Hugh pointed out the large thallus of Great Scented
Liverwort (Conocephalum conicum) on a
rock by the stream.
 |
| Smilax smallii |
 | |||
| Wild Geranium leaf |
A few Wild Geraniums (Geranium maculatum) leaves were peeking out amongst the leaf litter.
Proceeding upstream
we encountered American Sycamore (Platanus
occidentalis), Sourwood (Oxydendron
arboretum), Green Ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica), more Smilax smallii,
Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora),
American Holly (Ilex opaca), and Black
Cherry (Prunus serotina).
Other animals
(besides us) seen on the trail were a hawk and a large Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) seen scurrying through
the woods
And, of course, no
ramble would be complete without finding the sooty mold growing on a small
American Beech. The Boogie-Woogie aphids are, of course, long gone.
Although we looked
for it, no one could find the Ebony Spleenwort fern.
As we approached the
end of the trail Hugh pointed out the many pines among the deciduous tree
species in the forest at this location. The presence of pines among the
hardwoods indicates a young forest in the early stages of forest succession.
Many of us retired to Donderos' for coffee, snacks
and great conversation at the end of the Ramble.
