May Flowers

"What's going on here? It's mid September and I writing a blog entry about observations in May?.  Guess 2015 has been a busy field season so far, that’s life.”

Thinking back I certainly do remember May as a busy month, mainly due to the number of projects going on all at once. During May, I was conducting wetland delineations, botanical surveys, an invasive plant survey, and even plant mitigation work. Having the opportunity to be involved with this variety of environmental tasks is certainly one reason I enjoy what I do for a living.

The month of May started off with a declined trillium (Trillium flexipes) transplanting project in Beaver County Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources required a transplanting mitigation for 2 populations of declined trillium we identified during a botanical survey in 2014. Declined trillium was a topic of conversation between many botanists here in PA this year. Declined trillium has a legal status in Pennsylvania as threatened, and just this year the state has posted a hybrid form listed as Trillium x 1 (reserved for Trillium erect and Trillium flexipes hybrids) as proposed threatened. Seems many people are under the impression the plants being identified as declined trillium in southwestern PA may possibly be hybrids and not a pure Trilium flexipes.  Below are photos of the ROW area for each of the 2 declined trillium sites we conducted the transplanting.

Site 1 - Area of ROW declined trillium plants were removed for transplanting

 

Site 2  - Area of ROW declined trillium plants were removed for transplanting

As always, the job was made harder than it should due to the fallen trees within the ROW where declined trillium transplants had to be removed. We ended up transplanting a total of 10 declined trillium plants from Site 1 and 35 from Site 2.

Basket of declined trillium transplants
 

As with most transplanting tasks, we always try and establish transplant plots as close as possible to the original area the plants were removed. The declined trillium transplant plots were situated next to the ROW on very steep slopes containing shale talus substrate. The photo below shows the transplant plot at Site 1. The 10 declined trillium individuals removed from the nearby ROW were transplanted into this plot which will be monitored for the next 3 years.

Declined trillium transplant plot
 

The next task for May was completing an invasive plant survey in Cambria County Pennsylvania within Prince Gallitzin State Park. Mainly we surveyed an existing gas line ROW and transmission line ROW using a modified protocol of the Montana Methods of Invasive Species survey methodology. The most difficult thing about this survey was trying to spot Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) in the seedling stage within the grass dominated ROW’s areas. With most Japanese stiltgrass seedlings, you can still use the following characteristics for identification: silver color area of offset midvein area, reddish culm base , inrolled emerging leaves, and hairs along sheath margins and also surrounding the collar area of sheath.

 



Japanese stiltgrass seedlings

As with any field work, if you are a botanical geek you are always looking for that 'ODDBALL PLANT', whether it’s a rare, threatened, or endangered plant or even an invasive species you’ve never seen before. During the invasive survey work we did come across that 'ODDBALL PLANT'. The oddball was a few bushy bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus) plants scattered within a gas line ROW. Bushy bluestem has a PA legal status of Technically Undetermined and a PA proposed status of Rare. So for us here in PA, bushy bluestem is kinda cool to see every now and then.

Bushy bluestem is another topic of conversation between some botanists here in PA just like declined trillium.  Some PA botanists want to delist the plant and consider bushy bluestem in no danger or threat what so ever. This is due to to the increasing number of new populations being discovered, especially within disturbed sites such as fallow fields and old strip mine areas. Though other PA botanists consider these new populations of bushy bluestem to possibly be the result of seed mixes and therefore not true native populations. That is a topic for another time though. Below are a couple photos of the bushy bluestem we found along the ROW in the park.

Bushy bluestem plant
 

Bushy bluestem population mixed with a few plants of Broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus)
 

The highlight for May was  taking part in a running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) workshop, held in Elkins West Virginia. For the last year or two I’ve been trying to set time aside to visit a population or two of running buffalo clover but could never find the time or specific location to visit. Finally I got the opportunity this year and I was very satisfied overall with the workshop. The people at WV DNR were very accommodating and provided a very useful workshop.

If you never had the chance to see this federally listed plant in the field, running buffalo clover has some very distinctive vegetative features that can you help identify it in the field. Five characteristics you want to look for to help you identify running buffalo clover are: presence of stolons originating from a central crown, lack of leaf chevrons (though central vein of leaflets appear a lighter green to whitish color than the leaf blades), a pair of trifoliate leaves subtending a single stalked flower head (one flower stalk per node), and glabrous stipules with green veins.

Running Buffalo Clover Stolon

 

 

Running Buffalo Flowering Stem

 As I have mentioned in past blog entries, here in Washington County there are many steep wooded slopes with calcareous substrates.

Typical hillslope seen in Washington County PA during May 

A particular sedge I tend to see fairly often while walking along calcareous wooded slopes in May is James’ sedge (Carex jamesii). This year I’ve noticed this sedge is highly variable in its leaf color and length of culms. Possibly this variability is just due to age, but not sure. 

James’ Sedge

James’ sedge is on the Watch List here in PA, though in my neck of the woods here in southwestern PA it seems to be doing well.

The last two plants I would like to share in this May blog entry is American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). If I had to pick a favorite plant family I would have to at least consider the buttercup family, (Ranunculaceae). I would possible choose the buttercup family mainly because of the variability among its members. Goldenseal is a memeber of the buttercup family and one of the most interesting plants because of the variety of colors (deep green emerging leaves, creamy filaments, lemon anthers, dark red berry, golden orange root) and unique morphology (showy apetalous flower, peduncle developing from the node of a sessile cauline leaf) the plant posses.

Goldenseal Plant

Ginseng is always a pleasure to see growing in the woods here in southwestern PA. I have come across many small patches of ginseng over the years, yet finding a large population of 100 plus plants is something I have never seen. Some tell me the large populations can still be found out there somewhere.
 

Ginseng Plant

The reason I took a photo of ginseng this past May is for me, it was fairly early in the growing season to noticed ginseng. Usually I will notice ginseng later in the summer around July or late August when the spring ephemerals have senesced. If you harvest ginseng you certainly know how easy it is to spot in September when the leaves turn a nice bright yellow before senescing.

 

"Until Next Time, Keep Botanizing!"

 

 

April Field Season Begins to Take Off

 March was a very cold month here in southwestern PA, seems the typical phenolgy around these parts during that time was at least 2 weeks behind. Due to the cold month, many of the spring ephemerals were still far behind in development in PA during the end of March and beginning of April.

Colt's foot along roadside seep.

 I used to be a big fan of recording spring ephemeral blooming dates, but for some reason I stopped many years ago. Each year the common colt’s foot (Tussilago farfara) was always the first plant species I would record blooming. Seems I would always be able to catch a glimpse of the bright yellow flower heads poking up along bare wet roadside banks while driving home from work. Above is a photo if colt’s foot I took on April 4 along  the roadside seep where I’ve been watching this plant announce spring for the last 18 years.

Colt’s-foot is a non-native, sometimes weedy species, yet it does posses some interesting characteristics. Colt's foot has a unique flowering habit for an herbaceous plant. The flowers emerge, bloom and mature well before the leaves fully develop and expand above ground.

Once a wildflower enthusiast or field botanist learns to identify colt’s-foot they may not take the time to often to stop and put colt’s foot up to their hand lens. Though sometimes even the more common or non-native plant species are worth a second look.  

 Another early spring ephemeral I used to record the phenology of every year is snow trillium (Trillium nivale). I am lucky enough to have a fairly large population of this amazing species within walking distance of my house here in southwestern Pennsylvania. The first blooming date I ever recorded for snow trillium was March 26, 1995.

Beetle that I disturbed trying to pollinate snow trillium. Not sure why the beetle is upside down!

I have completed a handful of botanical surveys for snow trillium here in southwestern PA over the last 5 years. For one snow trillium population located back in 2012, we were required to conduct a transplant mitigation for the snow trillium plants located within a proposed gas line right of way. Basically we dug up the snow trillium within the proposed right of way and transplanted them to areas just outside the limits of disturbance.

Snow trillium transplant site.
You can see the pipeline right of way on the right side of the photo where the snow trillium were removed.

This was the first official transplanting mitigation I was asked to perform, and to my surprise it was a success. In 2012 we transplanted 235 total snow trillium plants from the proposed right of way, some  individual plants some were in clumps of plants. 

Clump of transplanted snow trillium.

Part of this snow trillium transplant mitigation was to monitor the transplants for 3 years. The final results of the 3 year monitoring period in 2015 was an increase of 31 new individual snow trillium plants from the original 235 transplanted in 2012.

 Two sedges that are sort of ‘harbingers-of-spring’ here is southwestern PA are twisted sedge (Carex torta) and brome-like sedge (Carex bromoides). Twisted sedge is a very recognizable sedge here in southwestern PA. Due to its early blooming period and dark, purple-brown pistillate scales it hard to mistake twisted sedge for any other sedge species blooming during spring. Even in late fall and winter you will notice the tussocks of twisted sedge dominating the banks of perennial streams within western PA.

Female spikes of twisted sedge.

 When conducting field work in southwestern PA the brome-like sedge is one plant species I use as a semi-indicator of bottomland wetlands. Though this sedge is easy to identify in spring when in flower, by the beginning of July when the perigynia have usually ripened and dropped, all you can depend on for identification is vegetative characteristics and habitat.

Tussock of brome-like sedge.

During the last two weeks of April I conducted a habitat assessment in McKean County PA for oblong-fruited serviceberry (Amelanchier bartramiana) and creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula). I was excited about this field work because it has been a couple of years since I have been able to botanize in the high plateau section of PA near the New York border.

Creeping snowberry is a plant I haven’t seen in many years. Fortunately I was able to locate a known population of creeping snowberry within a bog in Elk State Forest, Elk County PA. It was very beneficial to see this species again in the field, just to get my eyes adjusted again in recognizing this unique bog plant resident. Not sure how many creeping snowberry plants I walked passed at first, but it did take me a few times zigging and zagging through the immediate area of the known population site to locate the first patch of creeping snowberry.



Section of creeping snowberry stem.



 I visited another bog located in McKean County where both oblong-fruited serviceberry and creeping snowberry is known to grow, yet couldn’t locate either of the species. Large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) was very abundant in this bog and this made it very difficult to keep my eyes focused on scanning the sphagnum moss hummocks and logs for creeping snowberry. The large cranberry seemed to form a heavy carpet everywhere along the sphagnum hummocks and deep pitted terrain.



Bog/swamp in McKean County PA.



 Creeping snowberry and large cranberry have many similar vegetative characteristics, so finding a creeping snowberry plant growing among large cranberry takes some patience and keen eyesight. Below is a photo of both creeping snowberry and large cranberry for comparison.

Creeping snowberry on top, large cranberry on bottom.

 Finally came across large toothwort (Cardamine maxima) this past April, which was one of many plants I am hoping to locate this year. Like many of the plants I finally do come across that I search for I found it by luck. I say luck because the small population of large tootwort I did find was growing in the 'wrong' habitat. Large toothwort was certainly not on my radar screen when I was walking through the area I found it. Seems large toothwort perfered habitat here in PA is moist wooded ravines and slopes, not exposed alluvial floodplains were I notice it growing this April.

Large toothwort, showing alternate leaf arrangement

This mustard is said to be a hybrid between cut-leaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenate) and two-leaved toothwort (Cardamine diphylla). Other than the alternate leaf phyllotaxy of large toothwort, you may first notice the deeper cut leaves when trying to pick this particular plant species in the field or trying to separate it from more common two-leaved toothwort. Here in PA, large-leaved toothwort does not have a legal status for protection but does have a proposed status of PA Threatened.

 

If you haven't noticed I just got around to publishing this April post on July 6. Better late than never! Seems finding time to focus on keeping up with this blog was slim over the last few months!

 

 

"Until Next Time, Keep Botanizing!"

 

"2014 Plants to Share"

To start off my first blog post I thought I should keep it simple and post some of the unique plants I observed last year in the field. So the following plants are ones that stick out in my mind for some reason or another. Some of the following plants are listed in Pennsylvania and have a state legal status while others do not. Some of the plants were not even observed in PA, yet all in all, each of plants below do have something unique about them for one reason or another.
 

If you’re familiar with southwestern PA geology you know there are many areas in Greene, Washington, and southern Allegheny counties that contain substrates derived from limestone. This situation sometimes provides habitat for assemblages of rare calciphytic plants. One such plant is tall larkspur (Delphinuim exaltatum) that I have growing near my home in Washington County.



The population of tall larkspur near my home is found growing along a mesic wooded hillslope just above a shale and sandstone outcrop. One thing unique about this area is high level of limestone talus one can observe along the hillslope.

Another plant that is fairly common near my home is American gromwell (Lithospermum latifolia). The plant in my opinion is very handsome and is easily recognized as a member of the Borage family member. American gromwell develops beautiful yellow flowers followed by the fruits, or nutlets that resemble tiny white pearls.  



Probably one of the rarest of the plants near my home is another Borage family member called false gromwell (Onosmodium molle var. hispidissimum). This plant sticks out like a sore thumb when mature by the plants overall silvery rough appearance among the other green vegetation is the surrounding area. 

  

 

Further north in Beaver County Pennsylvania this year I finally came across declined trillium (Trillium flexipes). I found this population of declined trillium in late April along Raccoon Creek, yet not within Raccoon Creek Park. 



 

Another plant I seemed to come across fairly often in 2014 in West Virginia, yet I only observed it in PA at 3 different locations,is heartleaf meehania (Meehania cordata). One thing I about meehania is once you see it a few times in the field you can easily recognize it, especially in the fall when most other vegetation is dying back.  



I came across the next plant in Harrison County West Virginia in June during a field survey. As I was walking through a mesic type forested hillslope I noticed this kind of a odd looking Cyperaceae plant so I collected it and moved on, not giving the plant another thought. Fast forward a couple of days and during the weekend I got up early Saturday morning, put the plant under the scope, and to my surprise I collected a sclaria not a carex! The plant keyed out to whip nutrush (Sclaria triglomerata) which is a first timer for me. Though whip nutrush is considered the most common nutrushin  in my area I have never ever come across this genera. Just like the fruit of American gromwell, the fruit (achene) of whip nutrush turns white when mature resembling a white pearl.   



To some, orchids are by far the most exciting plants one can come across in the field. During the 2014 field season the orchid that sticks out in my mind the most is the yellow fringed orchid (Platanthera  ciliaris). In Pennsylvania I have only observed this orchid growing on central PA within moist open meadows. Last year in West Virginia I was surprised to come across a healthy population of yellow fringed orchid growing vigorously along a hillslope within an open, dry transmission line ROW within Kanawha State Forest. This orchid does not have a legal status in PA yet it is proposed threatened. To me the most striking feature of this plant is the vibrant orange color, and the range of environmental conditions it can tolerate. 



 

"Until Next Time, Keep Botanizing!"