2016 Catch Up, July and August

 

July 2016 Plants

Over the last 4 years during the month of July I have spent time in central Pennsylvania working on an invasive plant survey within Sproul, Tuscarora, Rothrock and Bald Eagle State forests. When I am conducting the invasive plant survey in central PA, I always try and visit as many natural areas as possible after work. During a visit to a new natural area I visited last year, I was able to finally see buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliate).

Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliate)

Though not a listed plant species here in PA, still a very cool plant to see in the field. Menyanthes is a monotypic genus usually found growing in areas associated with acidic water and sphagnum moss. I came across this very large population of buckbean within a cranberry bog in Sproul State Forest. Buckbean is a very easy plant to identify in the field as one can see by its obvious 3 lobed compound leaf which kind of have a thick and leather-like texture. Only thing that was disappointing about this experience was the lack of flowers.  Buckbean has a very interesting distribution within the US, where it is common in the far northeast, upper great lakes region and northwest, though rare throughout the northern Midwest states.

Another plant that I enjoy seeing during my time in Sproul State Forest is the brownish beaksedge (Rhynchospora capitellata).

Brownish beaksedge (Rhynchospora capitellata)

Though not a rare plant in PA, the brownish beaksedge may be a plant that some of us may not see that often. Belonging to the cyperaceae plant family, brownish beaksedge has very unique dark brownish colored  spikelets that are almost impossible to overlook. When in the field Rhynchospore can be quickly separated from Carex by the presence of bisexual flowers that lack a perigynium enclosing the achene.

I certainly love spending time botanizing in central PA, who can resist the beautiful rolling mountains and deep river valleys.

West Branch of the Susquehanna

Only thing that makes me nervous is the threat of timber rattlesnakes, especially when I spend so much time kneeling on the ground looking at plants.

Brown phase timber rattlesnake

Doesn’t matter if you are walking through upland rocky rights of ways or bogs, in Sproul State forest you can usually find a timber rattlesnake anywhere.

August 2016 Plants

In 2016, I think I have finally come across the coolest looking sedge to date for me. While exploring a bog within Tioga County PA, I came across the unique bog sedge (Carex magellanica subsp. irrigua).

Bog sedge

Can’t beat the excitement a plant geek feels the moment you finally step into an open bog community after trekking through a shaded upland forest for 30 minutes, it’s just such an abrupt from one plant community to another.

Tioga County PA Bog

During the middle of August 2016 I found myself doing wetland and stream work on a famous Pittsburgh island called Brunot Island. The island is within the Ohio River just west of the city.

Northwest Bank of Brunot Island looking upstream on the Ohio River

My understanding is that the Brunot family owned and lived on the island during the 1700 and 1800’s and somehow the Lewis and Clark expedition spent the night on the island in the summer of 1803. Presently the island is home to a large power generating station and very disturbed environmentally. Lots of slag and invasive plants dominate the island.

View inland on Brunot Island

Still, I was able to find some pretty cool plants while walking the island in search of wetlands. Though not rare by any means here in PA, some cool plants observed on Brunot Island were blue-curls (Trichostema dichotomum) and freshwater chordgrass (Spartina pectinata).



blue-curls (Trichostema dichotomum)

freshwater chordgrass (Spartina pectinata)

Late August I was in Guilford County North Carolina conducting stream and wetlands surveys. While in North Carolina I was able to observe 2 plant species I have been anxious to see for quite some time. The first plant I finally got to see in the field was gamma grass (Tripsacum dactyloides).

gamma grass (Tripsacum dactyloides)

Gamma grass is a very large and unique grass closely related to corn. Not the best photo I have taken, but in the picture above you can still make out the male flowers positioned at the top of the spike while the female flowers can be observed below. Currently in PA the state status for gamma grass is undetermined yet proposed endangered. I was observing gamma grass growing in many of the transmission line right of ways while in North Carolina mainly in dry to mesic environments.

The second plant I got to observe while in North Carolina was upright primrose willow (Ludwigia decurrens).

upright primrose willow (Ludwigia decurrens)

At first site this plant was easy to recognize that it beloged to the onagraceae family by the 4 yellow petal flowers and simple leaves.

upright primrose willow flower

The most unique feature of this Ludwigia was the presence of the ‘winged’ stem.

Upright primrose willow 'winged' stem, look close

Here in PA upright primrose willow is listed as endangered. I have never come across this plant in PA but observed it growing in many fringe wetlands along perennial streams in North Carolina.

Until Next Time, Keep Botanizing!

2016 Catch Up, May and June

Some May 2016 Plants:

One of the first exciting plant species of 2016 was the purple rocket (Iodanthus pinnatifidus). Purple rocket seems to reach its eastern range limit here in western PA.

Purple rocket

Came across this population growing along the foot of a mesic forested slope and wooded floodplain in Washington County. In Pennsylvania, purple rocket is listed as PA state endangered. The first noticeable characteristic of the plant that caught my eye was the large, irregular serrations of the cauline leaves.

Purple rocket irregular leaf serrations

Overall, purple rocket is a very delicate looking plant in my opinion, and  seems to possess so many unique characteristics. For instance, check out the different morphology of the cauline leaves in the photo above and below. The lowest cauline leaves are pinnately lobed, while the upper leaves are not. Even the leaf serrations can vary from regularly to irregularly dentate to serrate.

Purple rocket cauline leaves

There are not many other plants here in south western PA purple rocket can be confused with, especially while in bloom. The only similar plant you may mistake purple rocket for is the non-native Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis) or maybe an escaped blooming horseradish plant! Purple rocket has much narrower flower petals than Dame’s rocket.

Purple rocket flowers

I couldn’t resist throwing in a few photos of a cool grass and sedge! The first grass here may not be considered rare or endangered in PA, but very cool none the less. Below is a photo of the inflorescence of eastern mannagrass or floating mannagrass (Glyceria septentrionalis).

Floating mannagrass

Eastern manna grass seems to be restricted to growing in inundated wetlands. The panicle of eastern mannagrass is somewhat distinct from many of the other grasses due to the few lateral branches and narrow spikelets.

Floating mannagrass inflorescence

When compared to the other Glyceria species found here in PA, eastern mannagrass is one of 3 mannagrasses that have spikelets longer than 1 centimeter.

A common sedge found here in southwestern PA is the drooping (Carex prasina) as seen in the photo below.

Drooping sedge

Here in Washington County PA, one can usually find drooping sedge in full bloom during May and early June growing within seeps and along the banks of perennial and intermittent streams that flow though mesic forested areas. I usually find this sedge growing in fairly moist to saturated soils, and it seems to be the only ‘drooping inflorescence type sedge’ blooming this early in the season.  

Speaking of ‘drooping inflorescence type sedges’, below is a photo of perigynia taken from 2 of the most common ‘drooping type sedges’ found growing here in western PA. In the photo below you will see peryigynia from fringed sedge (Carex crinata var. crinata) on the left and nodding sedge (Carex gynandra) on the right.


Carex crinata var. crinata left and Carex gynandra right

When contrasting the perigynia of these species, you will notice that the nodding sedge has more of an elliptical shaped perigynium, while the fringed sedge perigynium is more obovate and appear to have ‘shoulders’, or you can say the perigynium is widest above the middle. I would still caution you to look as many perigynia as you can before deciding on the actual shape of the perigynium.

Some June 2016 Plants:

Living here in rural southwestern PA, I am fortunate enough to have many different habitats to explore close to home. One area I try to botanize at least once a year is a 2 or 3 acre emergent wetland situated within a huge 600 acre wooded parcel just a short walk from my front door. I got to explore this wetland in June last year and to my surprise all I noticed in one section of the wetland was an unknown grass species that I never noticed before. I collected a few flower stems and ran it through the key and to my surprise the unknown grass turned out to be swamp oats (Sphenopholis pensylvanica).

Swamp oats population

Though swamp oats is not a rare grass species here in PA, I believe this occurrence was the first documented in Washington County. I would guess swamp oats in possible just an overlooked species, but who knows. The most distinctive feature of swamp oats is the awned lemma.



Swamp oats showing awned lemmas

Probably the second biggest plant find for me during 2016 was smooth rock skullcap (Scutellaria saxatilis).

Smooth rock skullcap

I came across this plant in Allegheny County PA, during a rare plant survey. The area I was searching was within close proximity of a known population of smooth rock skullcap, so my eyes were certainly looking for it. When I first saw smooth rock skullcap in the field, I thought it was heart leaved Meehania (Meehania cordata) until a colleague of mine suggested that it looks more like a skullcap than a mint.

Meehania leaf left and smooth rock skullcap leaf right

The leaves of heart leaved meehania and smooth rock skullcap are very similar, plus both plants have a square stem, irregular flower shape and similar flower color. The habitat of smooth rock skullcap is probably the most unique thing I remember about this experience. To get to the population, you had to scurry down a dense vegetated powerline right of way positioned on a 50 to 60 percent hillslope for about 200 feet. Then once you entered the forested section of the hillslope where the smooth rock skullcap was growing, the area opened up into a heavily shaded young forest with a distinctive cobble layer covering the ground.

Smooth rock skullcap habitat

Very unique habitat to say the least. Smooth rock skullcap seems to be rare over its natural range and is proposed endangered in PA, so this is certainly one plant species I would like to see more of over the years.

Another exciting plant find for me in 2016 was the water bulrush (Schoenoplectus subterminalis). Found this population growing in a large wetland located in Centre County PA, near Philipsburg.

Water bulrush

The population was restricted to a shallow, slow moving stream flowing through the wetland. It was amazing to see the large size of the underwater mats this plant can form from their creeping rhizomes.

Water bulrush inflorescence

When in bloom this plant will catch any curious plant enthusiast by its wiry green culms emerging from the murky stream and curly white styles oozing from the flowers.

Probably one of the most rewarding jobs I was part of in 2016 was one I started in Canaan Valley West Virginia for Hayden’s sedge or cloud sedge (Carex haydenii).

Hayden's sedge habit

Hayden’s sedge closely resembles the tussock sedge (Carex stricta) in habit and habitat, though once you get your eyes on a specimen or two of Hayden’s sedge next to tussock sedge in the field, you begin to see the differences.

Tussock sedge left and Hayden's sedge right

First difference between tussock sedge and Hayden’s sedge is was the wider or more ‘plump’ female spikes of Hayden’s sedge. Taking a closer look at the female spikes you will notice the pistillate scales of Hayden’s sedge are usually much longer that the perigynia beaks, while in tussock sedge the pistillate scales are usually about as long as, to much shorter than the beak. What was so rewarding about this job is that I was part of a transplant project where we removed over 20 Hayden’s sedge individuals from an existing natural gas pipeline right of way and transplanted them to various plots outside the right of way prior to scheduled pipeline repairs.


Transplanting Hayden's sedge tussock

Eventually, some of the Hayden’s sedge individuals we be removed from their plots and transplanted back to various areas along the existing right of way, while others will remain in the plots to be monitored over the next few year.

 

Till Next Time, Keep Botanizing!

2016 Catch Up, March and April

Just didn’t have time to keep up with blog entries in 2016. To catch up on the entries I missed in 2016, I am putting together 4 separate entries that will cover some of the plants and other odds and ends I took photos of during my field work in 2016.

Back in northern West Virginia for field work during early March 2016, and the forested hillslopes were just beginning to green up. Exploring the forested stream valleys in northern West Virginia, one can only notice the plantain leaved sedge or seersucker sedge (Carex plantaginea) scattered throughout the mesic slopes.



Carex plantaginea growing along a mesic forested slope

The plantain leaved sedge is a very common sedge here in northern West Virginia, and is fairly easy to identify. It’s one of the first sedges to bloom in early spring and belongs to an ‘informal grouping of sedges’ that have leaf blades usually greater than 20 millimeters wide. When in bloom, one will probably notice the purple tinged bracts of the male spikes first, then looking closer you notice the dark red purple leaf bases.

Carex plantaginea in flower

Some other 'big leaved sedges' that grow almost within the same  habitat as plantain leaved sedge are Carex albursina, Carex laxiflora, Carex platyphylla and even Cymophyllus fraserianus. The plantain leaved sedge is obviously a 'harbinger of spring' in this area!

Another ‘harbinger of spring’ common in northern West Virginia, and here in southwestern Pennsylvania, is purple cress (Cardamine douglassii). A less common name for this plant is limestone bittercress because it is usually found growing near springs or streams in areas of calcareous substrates.



Cardamine douglassii



One look alike species of purple cress is spring cress (Cardamine bulbosa). One way to distinguish the two is purple cress has a hairy stem and spring cress has a glabrous stem. And if you dig the plant, you may notice that spring cress has a ‘bulbous’ root system and purple cress has a more or less fibrous root system.

In April of 2016 I conducted field work in Washington County Virginia within the Valley and Ridge Province. The geology within this area contains sedimentary rocks such as limestone, dolomite and shale which provides for some interesting geological features. The photo below was taken in a pasture field, and shows the karst terrain that is formed in areas containing limestone bedrock which has been dissolved over many years from surface water. 

Karst formation

During spring I am always be photo happy. After a long winter of snapping photos of mostly dull brown and gray colored subjects, the new growth of spring always catches my eye and encourages me to take another photo. One example of a plant that caught this past spring by its fresh green color is the annual bluegrass (Poa annua).

Annual Bluegrass

Annual bluegrass is probably one of the best grass species to begin learning the poaceae family characteristics. Though usually a very small plant in stature some individuals found in the spring can be quit larger such as the one in the photo above. For western PA Poa species, once you narrow an unknown plant down to the genus Poa, check for cob webby hairs at the base of the lemma and pubescence along the lemma nerves only. If you got these 2 characteristics of the floret in a smaller sized grass, then you possibly have annual bluegrass. As always though, get a second opinion!

"Until Next Time, Keep Botanizing!"