I promised flowers today, and you sure are going to get them. But these visitors were just outside my door this morning. I'm sure they will be happy to eat my plants, so it's sort of related.
These are in no particular order. I did try to pick ones that are not seen all the time, or that might benefit from some explanation. Mostly these are higher quality plants, with one BAD one.
This is Labrador Tea, Rhododendron groenlandicum, a shrub. The coefficient of conservatism (CC) is 8, which means it requires a rather specialized habitat to grow. The numbers range from 0 to 10, and 10 would be the most rare. Interestingly enough, this is a obligate wetland plant, however, we saw a lot of it growing on the sandy higher ground between wet pools. It did look rather stressed there. Yes, the leaves are used to make tea.
Another obligate wetland plant is Bog Laurel or Pale Laurel, Kalmia polifolia. This is only the second time I've ever seen this, although it supposedly often grows near the Labrador Tea. This is a very cool find, because its CC is 10... the highest you can get.
More on the woodland/upland side of the plant equation is Wild Sarsaparilla, Aralia nudicaulis. If you've been in the woods much, you've probably seen it. It's prevalent in northern hardwood forests, but its CC is not shabby, at 5. The leaves are more noticeable, with the flowers beneath the leafy "canopy."
Another upland species, fairly common, but also with a CC of 5, is False Solomon's Seal, or False Spikenard, Maianthemum racemosum. This used to be in a different Genus (Smilacina), but DNA testing puts it with another Maianthemum I'm sure most of you know, the small Canada Mayflower, with its small upright stalk of white flowers.
Another common flower of rich woodlands is Clintonia borealis, sometimes called Corn Lily. It is supposedly found near where I live, but not in the profusion of the Upper Peninsula and New York. CC is 5.
Also common, although most people think it's quite rare, is the Pink Lady Slipper, Cypripedium acaule. It will grow everywhere from wet to dry in terms of moisture, but always in acid soil. Also a CC of 5.
Now we'll do two upland species. The first is Horse Gentian or Wild Coffee, Triosteum aurantiacum. I'm not actually sure if I've seen this one before or its "sister," Triosteum perfoliatum. I'll have to hunt down some old pictures to be sure. Even then, the species intergrade, so... It's a tall plant, another with CC of 5. They are both listed as upland plants, and this one was, but I've seen a LOT of these in flood plains. It gets two pictures, because I can't show the leaves and the flower in one picture. The maroon flowers grow right in the leaf axils. These produce orange berries that can be roasted as a coffee substitute.
It's interesting to me that I've seen this plant more often than a lot of the others, yet its CC is 7. It's an obligate wetland plant, Purple Avens, Geum rivale. The leaves are the broad ones down on the lower right.
Another obligate wetland species is the Lance-leaved Violet, Viola lanceolata. This was my one good find from Big Lake. I have seen it before, but not often. The tall leaves are some sedge. The violet leaves are shorter, but they are very narrow. CC is 8. Very high quality plant.
I'm ending with a really bad plant. This is an invasive species. It was EVERYWHERE in Vermont, and I was dismayed to see it in the UP. It is False Chervil, Anthriscus sylvestris. It looks very much like Poison Hemlock, but smaller and without the spotted stems. The leaves are dark green and fern-like, just like the Hemlock. The stalks are striated, but I didn't get a good picture of that.
If anyone other than Betsy has stuck with me this far, I commend you! If you just came for the pictures, that's fine too.
In other news, I did laundry, went shopping, and mowed a chunk of the lawn. Not bad. Bill is here for the night, and tomorrow we head to the trail for the FINAL MILES!
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2 comments:
We have piles of Wild Chervil around here.
Hi Stew- that is really too bad :(
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