Yellow sunny walk

Spring flower season in upon us! Yeah! It is always good to see old friends blooming. Of all the flowers I have managed to learn, the springs flowers the best. It is probably because I am so anxious to see color and eager to learn after a brown and white winter. Right off the bat at the trail head I spotted good ole Coltsfoot poking its bright sunny face above the leaf litter. I think they are so anxious to flower that they don’t even bother with leaves until after the seeds are set. I love this maroon and yellow combination.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), is a member of the Asteraceae family. The name “tussilago” means cough suppressant but I have read that it is NOT a good idea to use it because with modern science it has been found to be toxic to the liver. This early native bee doesn’t seem to mind and is anxiously sipping up the nectar.

The next interesting thing I saw was River Alder (Alnus serrulata). I say interesting because although I pass it on each walk this time I noticed that the catkins were in bloom. This winter they were a hard brownish green and now they are opening up to reveal tiny flowers with lots of pollen. The seed is produced in small cones and pollinated this time of year.

Below you can see the pollen all over my fingers. When I later cleaned of my camera I noticed lots of this pollen attached to my lens and camera body. I can see that I need to be vigilant in keeping my camera clean this spring.

Made a quick stop at the mushroom/slime mold log and sure enough found another yellow thing to take a photo of. Pretzel Slime Mold (Hemitrichia serpula). The fruit body is the network of swollen veins (plasmodiocarp) which eventually breaks down and the threads pop out to form a cottony mustardy-yellow spore mass. You can see that on the right of the Pretzel like veins. Cool uh.

Back down by the wetland I found a Fishing Spider (Dolomedes species) in the genus Pisauridae. It is semi-aquatic and hunts by waiting at the edge of the water with their front legs in the water to feel the vibrations. You know how most spiders use their web to feel the vibrations when an insect lands on the web and the spider runs out and grabs it before it can fly away, well, these spiders use the water like a net to feel the vibrations. Next time I see one I hope to find it fishing at the waters edge, I would love to observe it fishing. Adaptation is amazing isn’t it?

It was hard to see this spider because it blended in so well but had I been brave and moved in very close I might have seen the short, velvety hairs that are unwettable (hydrophobic) that allows them to use the surface tension to stand and run on the water. Now if we could just figure out how to make rain coats like that, we could stay dry and walk on the water to get a better look at the frogs mating.

After the walk and I was home I noticed this deer watching me get out of the car. She just starred at me for the longest time and I broke eye contact first. I was up in the yard and she was down by the creek behind the house. I just thought she had so much personality showing. Sometimes even common things look different on a nice spring day like this one.

Visit other places at My World Tuesday.

Winter Walk

Welcome to my world.

Walking along my favorite trail on Saturday I stopped to take a photo of the Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) next to the last bit of snow. It just looked so pretty I couldn’t resist. I think they are called Christmas ferns because they stay green all year long and in the past were used as part of Christmas time greenery. It was the first fern that I learned the name of and still remember it to this day. You see the pinnae (little individual leaf like parts) have a lobe on the base that makes them look like a mitten, a Christmas mitten and that is how I remember.

The spores are produced on the small pinnae near the end of the fern frond and are called fertile pinnae. They are smaller than those at the base and once the spores are spread into the wind they shrivel up and turn brown but I don't see any here.

On down the trail I came to the tree with the three mushrooms growing on the side. Remember I wrote about it last month and thought you might like to see how they are progressing. You can see the original post HERE. They are melting away.

I went further up the trail than I have been going lately and ventured into the first meadow where I found some tracks in the snow. The snow was still pretty deep here and I was not able to figures out what made the tracks and I am just learning to recognize tracks.

This same meadow is surrounded by Virginia Pine (see previous blog) and I found a good example of cones showing one closed, one partly open and one fully open.

Back on the trail I went still further up to the larger meadow and found some Bittersweet (Celastru orbiculatus). I’m not sure where the name came from but it seems appropriate to me because the seeds look beautiful and are fun to collect for winter decoration on wreaths but after the season is over the seeds that dropped to the ground are near impossible to pick up and they begin to grow where you don’t want them. It is very invasive and best to leave in the woods. When it climbs up trees it can smother them and actually break some of the smaller trees from the weight of the Bittersweet fruit. I read that it was introduced in the 1860’s and often associated with old home sites. And it just so happened that I was in an old home site or what appeared to be one.

Close up of the Bittersweet.

You can see here where fencing from the old farm has become a part of this tree as the tree continued to grow. This is a common site on this land. At first it looked strange to see a fence coming out of the tree but now I am used to seeing it. Isn’t it wonderful how trees do their best to keep growing and not give into our neglect? I love to find evidence of these old homesteads.

I found the fence because I was off the trail taking a photo of this Running Ground Pine (Lycopodium clavatum). They are part of the Clubmoss family Lycopodiaceae.

The sky was starting to get an overcast so I headed back to the car. While I was in the parking lot a Red Shouldered Hawk flew over and landed on a nearby branch. It stayed while I tried to get a good photo and then flew off. I wonder if it was the one I saw this summer and shared a moment with. You can read about that one HERE. Saying goodbye to the hawk I drove on home after a wonderful day in the woods.

Visit My World Tuesday.

Greenbrier State Park, Maryland

With the temperature up to 57 degrees Fahrenheit the day was a treat after Thanksgiving. I went for a walk at the Greenbrier State Park in Maryland with a fellow naturalist.

We took a leisurely walk around the beautiful lake where we saw a Great Blue Heron fishing along the bank.

No sooner had I asked about dragonflies when three of the appeared. Two were in tandem with the male clasping onto the female behind her neck as she laid eggs in the water. She does this by tapping the tip of her abdomen to the water’s surface to release the eggs. Another male was nearby and challenged the mated male to get him to drop his grip. They were Yellow-legged Meadowhawks (Sympetrum vicinum). You can see the single male in a typical horizontal perch. They are usually the last dragonfly (Odonata) species that we see flying in the Mid-Atlantic region. They are members of the Libellulidae or Skimmer Family and love to hang out at lakes like this one.

We also spotted a Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) and either a Clouded or an Orange Sulphur Butterfly but they were both two flighty for me to snap a good photo. We did see one dandelion but other than that I have no idea what they were feeding on.

Next we found two interesting seed pods. One was a Seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia). The Seedbox had a hole in the end for the tiny seeds could be dispersed. It is in the Primrose family and has yellow flowers which bloom from June to August. This was the first winter weed plant that I took notice of and it has been my favorite ever sense.

The other one I believe is a Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis).

Moving on to the small stream we found early Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) just peaking its head above the water. I don’t remember seeing them before March but there they were. I love the color in these unusual plants.

I stopped for a moment to take a photo of this Ceramic Fungus (Xylobolus frustulatus).

We saw some more interesting things but I will tell you about them tomorrow.

Visit others adventures at My World Tuesday.

Return trip

My walk in the woods on Saturday was almost a rerun of my October 31 hike. Again I went to the Blue Ridge Tract of Shannondale Springs WMA and stopped at most of the same places.

You can compare photos of the trail last month and now. Click on the photo for the link back.

You can see the sawed tree that I find so many interesting things like slime molds and flat little beetles. This is where I found the slug last month. Most of these are just under the bark. I can peel back a bit of it to explore the underside and then replace it when I leave. I have been lifting the same section for at least a year now.

Why keep going back? Well, I read somewhere that if you want to see something new keep going over the same route. It usually works. This time I think I saw a lot of the same things but different views and in different stages such as the oyster mushrooms. First is the October photo and next is the latest one. You can see how the mushrooms have opened up more. I will try to remember to take a photo next month and see how it has changed once more.

Just on down the hill is Furnace Run Wetlands. It flows into a drainage ditch that runs under the fire road and into Furnace Run. I found some interesting plants here. One is a River Alder (Alnus serrulata). They are native to the United States and grow about 8-12 feet tall. They have beautiful delicate cones smaller than the tips of my little finger. I wasn’t able to take a photo of the cones but I did find some catkins hanging over the water. River alders are resistant to most insects and disease pests. .

Alder catkins

I am not sure what the other one is. Any suggestions?

UPDATE: Woodswalker has suggested that this is a Branching Bur Reed (Sparganium angustifolium).  I hope she is correct because it is on the WV species of concern list.  I plan on getting back up there this weekend to get a more accurate description and fill out a lot of paper work to submit to the WV Deptartment of Natural Resources.

On up the hill I stopped at my favorite log with all the moss. Last month I found a little snail on cut the log but this one was on the moss log. These photos are a little better and show the pneumostome hole for breathing. I think this slug is rather cute. You can see the black dots of its eyes as it looks over its shoulder at me. The two antennas on the bottom are used for smelling and touch and don’t have eyes. I read that they can glide along a razor blade edge and not be cut but salt is deadly. I think salt may not be all that good for us either and I’ll definitely pass on the razor blade trick.

I found these mushrooms last time but this time I decided to tell you their name…“Deadly Galarina” (Galerina antumnalis). Another common name is “autumn skullcap”. As the name implies they are poisonous and should not be eaten…you will probably die. They are common in my region and found on rotting wood with moss. I recognize it by the small two-inch cinnamon-brown cap and the dark ring (annulus) on the thing stem (stipe). They sort of look like other brown mushrooms so be very careful if you collect and you should take spore prints for a more accurate identification and then don’t eat them. They mostly cluster in small groups but I have seen a lone one standing off from the pack as though it were being shunned for a bad deed. But I have never seen just one on a log.

At that point I turned around for home and left the mushrooms for the slug.

I will be enjoying Thanksgiving Holiday with friends; there is so much to be thankful for.

Visit more places at My World Tuesday.

the unexpected

I returned to the Blue Ridge Tract to see how it had changed since the 19th of October, just two weeks ago. The leaves were darker and more of them were on the ground this time.

When I came to the fallen tree I found mushrooms as usual but this time they were on a standing tree nearby. I think they are Oyster Mushrooms. My mother would have been appalled if I had collected them to eat and my friend Angie is probably appalled that I didn’t collect them for dinner. But I was on the hunt for slime molds and other delights to the eyes.

Click on this and other photos for larger views.

I pulled up some of the bark from that old downed tree and this time was rewarded by a hibernating slug snuggled just under the bark and some unknown egg cases. You can see the mantle fold on its back in the area that would have a shell if it were a snail. You can also see the pneumostome which is an air hole used for breathing. Notice that little slimy silk like stuff attached to one end. I’ve seen that before but I’m not sure what its function is. If any one knows please let me know.

These are the egg cases I found.

At the bottom of the hill down in the Furnace Run Wetland area I spotted a Common Checkered Skipper. It was so “fresh” meaning the wings were not ragged or torn and newly hatched. It was a beautiful and unexpected sight on this fine fall day. A butterfly was the last thing I expected to see.

I took some time to photograph some British Soldiers, the lichen Cladonia cristatella, because I found a large quantity of them on a log that is normally surrounded by water. They are always fun to find. The red part of the “British Soldier hat” is the part that makes the spores that are blown by the wind to start new fungus. It takes about four years before the British Solders can make their spores. When the algae Trebouxia erici connects with the fungus then it becomes this lichen. Another interesting feature is that it can make new lichen from a broken piece if it is in the proper environment. So I guess it is a good idea to either leave them in place or at least put it back in the environment you found it.

UPDATE: Woodswalker commented: "Not to nitpick, but I think your Cladonia lichens may be Cladonia macilenta instead of Cladonia cristatella because they are far less branchy than British Soldiers. My lichen book (Lichens of the North Woods by J. Walewski) calls them Lipstick Powderhorn, an aptly descriptive name."

I think she is correct and am grateful for her correction because I learned even more. I now wonder if the British soliders used lipstick powderhorns during their battles. Tee Hee. 

Beside the trail was Witch-hazel that I had never noticed before. I recognized them after seeing reading Woodswalker’s blog “Saratoga Woods and Waterways”. They are really interesting deciduous shrubs that can grow to small trees. The genus name Hamamelis means “together with fruit” is a reference to its unique ability to have fruit, flowers and next year’s leaf buds all on the same branch simultaneously. Here you can see new flowers and fall leaves on the same branch and thus the origin of the other common name “Winterbloom”. The common name that I am most familiar with, witch-hazel” comes from the old English words “wice” meaning “bendable”. Hazel is from the English hazel twigs used as divining rods so I guess this is a good tree to use for finding water. Personally I now associate it with Halloween witches that are flying about the same time this plant is in bloom.

Finally I came to the log I knew would have slime mold and sure enough I found about four different varieties. Also some interesting mushrooms and other critters were crawling around. One was a lightening bug from the beetle family Lampyridae, again an unexpected sight. I had no interest in flying away but I am not sure what it was searching for but it was very intent to go about its business. They overwinter in their larval stage, so maybe it was looking for a good place to lay eggs.

On the way back up the hill I found a green metallic sweat Bee (Halictidae) on this lonely blossom. From the looks of it you would never know it was October 31st instead of a find summer day in August. The forest is always full of interesting surprises and challenges my limited expectations.

See more from My World Tuesday.

Taylor Island walk

Recently I took a few days off to visit the eastern shore of Maryland. While staying on Taylor Island, my friend, Trillium and I took the opportunity to explore the Nature Conservancy trail nearby. The narrow trail took us back into a Chesapeake Bay tidal marsh where we were surrounded by Loblolly Pines, the dominate tree species.

Toward the end we came to a pond with a yurt like structure where we explored a little and found a familiar tree called Diospyros virginiana or Persimmon tree.

We tasted one but they are not like the big plump persimmons we buy from the store, these were full of large seeds. If you eat one before it is fully ripe, as we did, it will taste bitter and cause your lips to pucker and suck all the spit right out of your mouth. They are fully ripe when they are very soft, almost to the point of not being able to pick them up. Bruni wrote me that they don't need to be fully ripe to loose the pucker power but rather they need to have gone through a frost.

On our return trip to the car we found muskrat scat containing Persimmon seeds so some things must love them. The genus Diospyros is Greek for “food of the gods” which probably refers to fact that they contain 34 percent fruit sugar, making it one of the sweetest of plants. Persimmon wood is very hard and shock resistant making it a good choice for the heads of driver golf clubs. But I doubt if the creatures of this area care about that.

Walking back to the car I was very excited to spot a little frog as it hoped off the trail. It was very cooperative and stood still while I got down on all fours to take a close up photo.

At the time we didn’t know what species it was, only that we had not seen one like it before. Later, when we were visiting a Nature Visitor Center gift shop I was able to look it up and discovered that it was a Southern Leopard Frog (Rana shenocephala). The Genus Rana is the Latin word rana meaning frog. The species name is Greek for sphenos (wdegeshaped) and kephale (head) referring to its triangular head. The little white area in the center of the eardrum (tympanum) is one characteristic that distinguished it from the Northern Leopard frog we have in my part of West Virginia. Seeing that little frog was a nice treat.

Check out more good stories and photos at My World Tuesday.

"O Shenandoah I love your waters…"

This stretch of the Shenandoah River runs very near my home.

Photo taken 13 September 2009

The lyrics “O Shenandoah I love your waters…” from the folk song expresses how I feel about this beautiful river I call my own. I enjoy visiting often and taking photos throughout the seasons. The river begins in Virginia, running 150 miles, with the last 20 miles in West Virginia. It ends at the Potomac where it becomes a part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The base surface of this portion of the river is limestone covered with algae and very very slippery. In the summer the water is low but it is still difficult to cross without scooting along on your bottom or wearing boots with felt soles to help gain traction. Never-the-less a lot of people float, canoe and kayak down the river enjoying the birds and scenery along the way toward Harpers Ferry and the confluence with the Potomac. I mostly enjoy walking along the shore, sitting for a spell and listening to the soothing sound of the water streaming by.

Visit My World Tuesday for more scenes around the world.