Recent Sightings of the Blue Ridge

Recent Sightings of the Blue Ridge

By Cade Campbell - Pre-MRNR, Spring 2024

West Virginia White nectaring on Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) along Della’s Branch. Photo by Cade Campbell.

As anticipation builds for the 50th Spring Mt. Rogers Naturalist Rally, there are some species reappearing on the landscape to add to the excitement. During our programs for local schools over the past few weeks, the full force of spring has shared some special moments and special residents that call our Virginia mountains home.

The federally-threatened West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis) butterflies are abundant in the forests behind the Schoolhouse searching for toothwort plants to lay their eggs. They’re easily recognized as the only solid-white butterfly found in the state of Virginia, and the dwindling species is endemic to the Appalachian Mountains. Look for them in sun-dappled areas of cove forest with lots of spring ephemeral wildflowers. The invasive-exotic garlic mustard is lethal to these butterflies but smell like their caterpillars’ favorite foods, other plants in the cabbage family. Our habitats around Whitetop Mountain composed of intact native plant communities are essential for the butterfly’s survival.

A Margined Madtom (Noturus insignis) captured accidentally during an aquatic macroinvertebrates program with Fries School. Photo by Cade Campbell.

Underwater, life is also thriving. Fish are entering the breeding season, moving from deep pools into the shallow waters where they’re easily visible. One of the more unusual fish we’ve been noticing recently with stream ecology programs is the tiny, mildly-venomous catfish known as the Margined Madtom (Noturus insignis). They’re only found in rushing water full of smooth stones with crevices and crayfish burrows. To protect themselves from the wide gape of larger fish, particularly trout, they’re armed with painful, needle-like pectoral barbs. When handled, they can leave a sharp, swollen pinprick, the aquatic equivalent of a bee sting. Margined madtoms are easily distinguished from other native catfish by eel-like, black-fringed fins and a silver, scaleless body, seldom growing more than six inches in length.

The large Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylis) nymph, an excellent leaf mimic.

Dragonflies are also emerging. Nymphs are large and ready to climb onto land, shedding hollow exuviae and drying into fast and bloodthirsty aerial predators. The largest native dragonfly, the Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylis), is one of the most charismatic. An impressive hunter that mainly captures other dragonflies, they can take down prey as large as a hummingbird. The aquatic nymphs are very different. The palm-sized juveniles are leaf-mimics, and hide flattened in clusters of sycamore and boxelder roots in larger streams where they eat other aquatic macroinvertebrates. Large, spider-like Allegheny River Cruisers (Macromia alleghaniensis) are also preparing to emerge. Both a Dragonhunter and River Cruiser nymph from this spring are pinned in the library collections. In the colder, smaller and more inhospitable waters of Della’s Branch, the delicate, golden-striped Southern Pygmy Clubtail (Lanthus vernalis) is emerging camouflaged against shimmering riffles as the creek flows through dense rhododendron thickets.

The mother Eastern Black Bear (Ursus americanus) beckoning her last cub to escape into the woods, just before the entire family vanished back into the hillside forests of Fairwood Valley.

Black bears are back! We observed a healthy family of bears in Fairwood Valley last week. The mother successfully raised three cubs last year we observed several times throughout the year, and they will remain a nomadic family unit this year. Early mornings and evenings are the best time to see bears foraging, but it is an unusual treat. Unlike other, more populous areas in the Southern Appalachians, the bears found in the Mt. Rogers region are rarely habituated, or accustomed to humans. Most are still very reclusive and fearful of humans, and it’s a unique privilege to see one of these truly wild bears. Since they utilize ancient strategies to find food, instead of raiding dumpsters, coolers, and picnic baskets, black bear signs are abundant. Right now, many black bears survive the surprisingly lean spring season by flipping rocks in streams to hunt salamanders, similar to herpetological adventures at the rally. However, unlike the humans attending our programs, bears are allowed to eat the salamanders.

Be aware of your surroundings, and you may get the chance to see some amazing creatures! The Spring Rally is a wonderful time to explore, with a host of experts to help you identify and understand some of Virginia’s strangest and most biodiverse communities of wildlife on a rejuvenated spring landscape. If you have not yet registered for the rally, you can do so below. The big weekend is almost here, and we hope to see you on the mountain.

It's Fern-ally Time to Explore Winter Flora!

Through the cold months of winter, seeing the shades green through nature is a driving force in keeping us sane until springtime. One of these main agents in providing a variation in color would be ferns. Ferns are vascular plants that reproduce via spores rather than seeds. These spores can travel vast distances before they land in their new habitat, creating a wide range of dispersal. While not all ferns can survive the cold winters, there are a few still left near our campus that can withstand the colder temperatures. Our two most spotted ferns at BRDC are the Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) and the Evergreen Wood fern (Dryopteris intermedia)).

Evergreen Wood Fern

Evergreen Wood Ferns are apart of the family Dryopteridaceae which encompasses all wood ferns. In this family, evergreen wood ferns possess a unique feature of having a hairy stipe and rachis. The stipe is referring to the main stem section that occurs between the roots and the start of the leaf tissue. The rachis is the section of the stem that is has leaf tissue. As the name suggests, evergreen wood ferns got their name from their ability to retain their pinnules or ‘leaves’ all winter. These pinnules have a bright green color to them.

Christmas Fern

Christmas Ferns are also apart of the family Dryopteridaceae. They are also evergreen, which is why they are named after Christmas. Unlike the evergreen wood ferns, Christmas ferns do not have a hairy stipe or rachis. Instead, they have a scaly stipe. Their pinnules are a dark green with a satin finish. This dark color tends to hide in the mist of more brightly colored flora during the warmer months of the year, but during the winter time it stands out against decayed plant matter. While most ferns have spores all over the underneath of their fronds, Christmas ferns only have spores on the underneath of their top pinnules.

Spotting the difference between these two ferns might be obvious now, but in the field fern identification is a struggle to most beginners. If you ever find yourself in need to fern identification help, the iNaturalist app will become your best friend. This all encompassing nature identification app uses photos of flora and fauna to identify species. This app is a great tool for citizen science, so even if you aren’t specifically interested in ferns, you can use this platform for many other naturalist inquiries.

I know that during the colder months of the year people tend to stay inside, but finding winter ferns in your area is just one of the many reasons to get outside this winter.

Species Spotlight: Sassafras

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is blooming now in the Blue Ridge.

Sassafras is a member of the Lauraceae family. This family is characterized by having woody stems, simple leaves, and actinomorphic (star-shaped) flowers that are typically bisexual. A a rather small tree, it is commonly found in early successional habitat such as fence lines and field edges all throughout Virginia. It is one of the first trees to appear in a disturbed habitat, and is commonly found in the understory of mature forests.

Sassafras is easily distinguished by its three different leaf shapes: ovate, mitten-shaped, and three-lobed. The flowers are a delicate yellow with petals of six (common of actinomorphic flowers). Sassafras produces drupes, a berry-like fruit, that is a common part of the diet of the region’s wildlife. Black bear, quail, turkey, rabbits, sapsuckers, yellowthroated warblers, and other songbirds all feast on the produce of the sassafras.

This tree is very aromatic. From the root to the leaves, it has a distinct spicy flavor. The grayish-brown, blocky bark can be scraped just barely to reveal the aroma. Native Americans used this tree for numerous medicinal purposes. The bark was believed to treat fever, diarrhea, rheumatism, measles, and scarlet fever. Infusions of the plant were used to combat coughs, and as a mouthwash for colds. The leaves treated bee stings, wounds, cuts, bruises, and sprained ankles when applied as a poultice. The tree used to be the main ingredient for flavoring root beer, but has since been replaced by artificial flavors.

Sassafras albidum - Sassafras leaves, by Virens (Latin for greening)  CC BY 2.0

Milkweeds: Common and Native to NC/VA

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 

Description: This tall perennial has large balls of pink to purplish flowers that have an attractive odor. The flowers bloom from June to August. 

Growing Conditions: This plant is shade intolerant, it needs lots of sunlight and moist soil.

Plant Size: Usually 3-5 feet (90-150 cm), may reach 8-feet (240 cm) in ditches and gardens.

Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Description: The common name for this plant is Orange Milkweed. This perennial has large flat-topped clusters of yellow-orange or bright –orange flowers and blooms May to September.

Growing Conditions: Butterflyweed needs full sunlight, is drought tolerant and prefers dry to moist soils.

Plant Size: 1-2 feet (30-60 cm)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Description: Often called Pink Milkweed, this perennial has large blossoms composed of small, rose-purple flowers. The deep pink flowers are clustered at the top of a tall, branching stem and bloom June to October.

Growing Conditions: This plant needs lots of water, is shade tolerant and prefers soils that stay moist to wet.

Plant Size: 2-5 feet (60-152 cm)

Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)

Description: The flower clusters are deep magenta red and bloom May to July.

Growing Conditions: Purple milkweed needs bright sunlight and dry soil.

Plant Size: 2-4 feet (61-122)

White Milkweed (Asclepias variegata)

Description: This perennial has small white flowers with purplish centers crowed into round, terminal clusters that resemble snowballs. Blooms May to September.

Growing Conditions: While milkweed has low water needs, likes dry soil and tolerates moderate shade.

Plant Size: 1-3 feet (30-91 cm)

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

Description: This single-stemmed perennial has narrow, linear leaves whorled along the stem. Small, greenish-white flowers occur in flat-topped clusters on the upper part of the stem. Blooms May to September.

Growing Conditions: Whorled milkweed has moderate water requirements, is somewhat shade tolerant and prefers dry soil.

Plant Size: 1-3 feet (30-91 cm)

Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)

Description: This perennial has white flowers; blooms May to August.

Growing Conditions: Green milkweed needs bright sunlight, it is heat and cold tolerant, prefers moist soil and moderate water.

Plant Size: 4-feet (122 cm)

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, is one of our loveliest spring ephemerals.  

As an ephemeral, bloodroot has a very short blooming season. Before the trees leaf out and shade the forest floor, bloodroot must produce a flower and have it pollinated. The way the leaf remains wrapped around the flower is perhaps an adaptation that a offers some protection from the cold of early spring.

Bloodroot has clusters of bright yellow stamens to attract pollinators such as bees. Since nectar is energy intensive for the plant, bloodroot does not produce any.  Pollinators get no reward for visiting the flowers,  but since there are so few flowers blooming in early spring they have little choice.   If the flowers aren't visited by pollinators, they can self-pollinate.   Since self-pollination does not produce genetic diversity, it is a backup to ensure survival of the species.

Bloodroot encourages ants to spread its seeds. Ants are attracted to the fleshy elaiosomes, rich in a sticky oil, that cover the seeds. The ants collect the seeds and bring them back to their nest, where they consume the elaiosomes and dispose of the seeds with other debris. This provides a perfect area for the seeds to germinate. 

Blue Ridge Illustrated: Oaks of Matthews State Forest

Anytime one dives into a new field of identification, be it birds, butterflies, flowers, or in this case trees, it is best to choose one "family" of similar species and hone in on those for clarity. That is exactly what we did at Matthews State Forest last Friday morning with the Galax High School Art Class. 14 students spent two hours in the field defining the difference between the bark, acorns, leaves and tree structure of six species of oaks while effectively blocking out the myriad of other species in the forest. Their investigative efforts began the latest BRDC poster: The Oaks of Matthews State Forest.

The exploration began with a compare and contrast exercise in the shapes of leaves collected from the forest floor. First they decided which were representatives of oaks and which were not. Then they defined a rounded lobe versus a pointed lobe to separate the white oaks from the reds. Lastly they looked at color and sinus depth to separate the collection of leaves into five clearly defined species. 

We then filtered back into the woods to find the leaves hanging on the trees where they documented each species with bark and leaf rubbings. Once the trees were identified the students scratched the forest floor for acorn samples to take back to the classroom. On our return trip we added one more species to the list, a post oak just off the path for a total of six species. They begin the in-class scientific illustrations this week!

Identified in the forest were:

Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra
Black Oak, Quercus velutina
Scarlet Oak, Quercus coccinea
White Oak, Quercus alba
Post Oak, Quercus stellata
Chestnut Oak, Quercus prinus

Milkweed Madness

If you manage a field, you face a conundrum in deciding your specific goals and if, when, and how often to mow.  If you want to retain the field, you must eventually mow it, but preferably no more than once per year to minimize negative effects on wildlife.  Otherwise woody vegetation will eventually move in and convert the field into a woodland. But the speed of this succession is highly variable in different locations.  Mowing more than once per year usually converts the field into short grasses which are minimally useful to wildlife.  But when do you mow?   A traditional approach is to wait until late August after all birds have nested.  This has the drawback that it disrupts the replacement of the early cool season grasses (such as fescue) by warm season grasses (which is stimulated by earlier mowing), and limits the amount of food and cover that will be in the field during the non-growing season.  Another issue is what the impact would be on milkweeds.  We have large numbers of the common milkweed, Aesclepias syriaca, and want to keep them healthy for monarch butterflies.  

Monarch Butterly on Milkweed

You would think that mowing would be bad for milkweeds and monarchs.  I have found this not to be true because monarchs in our area primarily pass through in late summer and early fall.  By August, milkweeds which are not mowed are past blooming, are dry and senescent, and suitable as food for milkweed tussock moth caterpillars, but not monarchs.  If the fields are mowed in mid-June to early July, the milkweeds quickly regrow and some are blooming within about 5-6 weeks.  There are then many young tender leaves suitable as food for monarch caterpillars.  The photo taken Aug. 23 shows a field mowed on July 15; some plants are blooming and there are many tender young plants.  It is likely that if open field-nesting birds such as meadowlarks are disrupted by early mowing, they will quickly re-nest.  

View fullsize

Black Swallowtail

View fullsize

Monarchs Mating

View fullsize

Monarch Butterfly

Adult monarchs feed on the nectar from milkweed flowers, as do other butterflies such as this female black swallowtail.  Monarchs also derive nectar from a variety of other flowers such as this ironweed.   Many such nectar sources other than milkweeds are found not in the mowed grasslands, but around the wetter edges which are mowed less frequently.  We have found that mowing as infrequently as every 3-5 years can be effective in maintaining a bio-diverse field attractive to insects and birds.  Hand cutting of woody stems and selective mowing of problem areas with invasive infestations such as Canada thistle can help maintain these natural flower gardens as nectar sources.  Burning in late winter can sometimes also be beneficial in controlling unwanted plants and in releasing nutrients from dead plant material, depending on your goals.

I urge you to consider the possibilities for milkweed cultivation in your local situation, either from the natural growth in fields, or plantings in your yard.  Experiment to see what works best in your circumstances.  Try cutting some plants down at different times to see if the subsequent re-growth provides a useful means of  providing better food for our marvelous monarch butterflies.

Bill Dunson 
Galax, VA and Englewood, FL 

Seed Pods of Matthews State Forest by Galax High School Art Program

View fullsize

The Seed Pods of Matthews State Forest poster has been completed! It is the fourth in an ongoing series of posters from the Blue Ridge Illustrated program. Young artists Adian Chapman, Julio Hernandez Cervantes, Kayleigh Funk, Alondra Ramirez Perez, Kyla Revolorio, Cody McMillon, and Derek Spraker went out into the field last fall and collected seed pods in the forest and along the forest edge. They returned to the classroom where they studied the species with detailed colored pencil illustrations over the winter. Under the tutelage of art instructor, Jarrod Wilson, the students illustrated: Smooth Sumac, Evening Primrose, Sweet Birch, Black Oak, Mockernut Hickory, American Holly, Eastern White Pine, Bull Thistle, Eastern Redbud, Goldenrod, Oriental Bittersweet, Pitch Pine, Common Milkweed, Chestnut, Horse Nettle, and Mountain Mint. You can get a copy of their illustrations at Matthews State Forest or at one of our events for $5. All proceeds go towards funding the Blue Ridge Illustrated program. Program Guides were Scott Jackson-Ricketts and Aaron Floyd of BRDC and the program advisor was Zach Olinger, Education Specialist at Matthews State Forest.

Skunk Cabbage

Skunk Cabbage, Photo Credit: Mike Floyd

Skunk Cabbage is by far the strangest flower you'll ever come across in the Blue Ridge... it has a leathery rigid bloom that can work its way up through snow and ice in late February and early March by generating its own heat! This is known as thermogenesis, a process in which a plant produces heat above the air temperature through cyanide resistant cellular respiration!? A rare feat among plants! The bloom grows to between 2-5" tall and puts off a feces-like odor that attracts scavenging pollinators like winter stoneflies while keeping away large mammals that might destroy the bloom. The plant grows in soft soggy stream bottoms where you can often find it in large patches. It is peaking right now, so go check them out!

Ailanthus

In my neck of the woods, Ailanthus is an invasive alien that looks like a native, but isn't. One of the reasons that homeowners like it is the flowers. Moth enthusiasts know about it because Atteva aurea, the Ailanthus webworm, uses it as its host plant. Here's the photographic evidence.

Trillium - A Lovely Spring Flower

Trillium

is a genus that has a variety of species across North America. The "tri" Latin prefix, meaning three, is used because the parts of the flowers occur in threes or multiples of threes: three leaves, three petals, three sepals, three stigmas, and six stamens.

A common trillium of southwest Virginia and northwest North Carolina is

Trillium erectum

, commonly referred to as Wake Robin. The researcher can become quickly confused by this lovely plant. Since it occurs in red/maroon, white, cream, pink, and mottled, the question is whether these are subspecies or whether these are just different colors of Trillium erectum. At this time there is no definitive answer.

Let's look at some of the Trillium erectum blossoms that occur close to each other. Red/maroon and cream are the most common in this area.

When red and cream occur in an area, it is not unusual to see pink or mottled.

The white form seems not to occur in the same area as the red and cream.

                 The Yellow Trillium,

Trillium luteum

,

 grows in such large numbers in some slopes of the eastern

Smoky Mountains, that its growth habit is reminiscent of a weed.

Trillium sessile

, commonly called Sessile Trillium, is like the Yellow Trillium in that it does not grow in the Blue Ridge Discovery Center area. The one pictured to the right was growing in southeastern West Virginia.

Trillium luteum

and

Trillium sessile

belong to the "sessile" category. In this case "sessile" means that the flower has no stem.

Nodding Trillium,

Trillium cernuum

,

 is white. As it ages, the ovary and anthers

become pink and purplish,  making it

even more lovely at a distance.

Painted Trillium,

Trillium undulatum

,                

grows over a large area. This is fortunate

because it is one of the most beautiful of

the trilliums.

You might still find some trilliums at

the higher elevations of North Carolina

and Virginia. Better yet, plan to see

them in the spring of 2014.

Eco-antique

A Rare Virginia Tree in Albemarle Co., Va.:

Paper birch,

Betula papyrifera

The winds of the Blue Ridge whisper tales of the past

, especially when they blow through the leaves of wild growing paper birch trees.

"Not very far from that region (I recall it as in Augusta County), some bird fossils have been found in a cave, including spruce grouse, and other more northern birds….time they died was about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. I can picture spruce grouse foraging on birch seeds new fallen on snow…can picture white-winged crossbills nearby, pine grosbeaks, hoary and common redpolls, and boreal chickadees, maybe even a few whiskey jacks (gray jays) chattering in what was at that time not a microclimate enclave. Of course a raven could show up and be wise to wolves slumping across a thicket. Maybe even a straggler caribou being hunted." - Clyde Kessler

(For more on the fossils found in Augusta, see page 3: http://ccb-wm.org/raven/TheRaven/1962.pdf )

Cold hollows and protected slopes

provide a refuge for these trees and other glacial relics or disjuncts (species that were left behind and separated from their kind as the glaciers marched north thousands of years ago). They occupy small and scattered habitats that maintain conditions that suit them, conditions that are more common hundreds of miles north.

This tree's habitat typically has a climate that includes short cool summers and long cold winters. It prefers to have average July temperatures be below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. These birch trees, and the plant community of which they are a part, enjoy this little Blue Ridge mountain microclimate.

The paper birch trees depicted in these photographs grow at the base of a north facing quartzite talus slope in Albemarle County, Virginia.

This particular site was found by Mo Stevens many years ago. He always thought that he was dealing with Betula papyrifera, and not Betula cordifolia (as the experts insisted). Recent efforts have confirmed Mo's hunch. This is likely to be the strongest stand of B. papyrifera in the state.

Flowers Everywhere

BRDC Whitetop Mtn. wildflower walk participants.

“They’re everywhere!”

Over and over I heard various wildflower enthusiasts repeat this phrase as they viewed the unending masses of early spring blooms that decorated the forest floor on Sunday, May 1.

Twenty-three of us joined Blue Ridge Discovery Center’s hike along the segment of the Appalachian Trail from Virginia’s Whitetop Mountain to Elk Garden two and a half miles below.

The never-ending flowers we witnessed on the mountain created an artist’s mosaic of colors.

Frilly chartreuse green rose above deep night green. Bright magenta and dark burgundy pointed skyward above cushions of rounded, green triangles. Soft pink nestled against protecting boulders and fallen trees. Speckles of white winked throughout the rolling mountainside. Sunny, golden yellow outshined its creamy, buttery cousin. Brilliant blue randomly broke the mosaic.

My camera captured personal glimpses of what we saw.

We saw Dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn

which are sometimes difficult to tell apart unless they grow near each other. Both of the flowers hang upside down on the flower stem. Think of the legs of the Dutchman's breeches as looking like those of a saddle-sore cowboy with pointed legs. His breeches have a yellow waistband. The top of the squirrel corn looks like the rounded top of a Valentine, and the whole bloom looks a bit like a baby's pacifier.

The fringed phacelia is listed as "imperiled" by the state of Virginia and is quite uncommon. It blooms in innumerable abundance on Whitetop Mountain.

The bright, hot pink blossoms of the wild geranium added a striking contrast to the white fringed phacelia.

Spring beauty is a dainty plant whose flowers are usually pale, but this one has lots of color.

The golden, yellow trout lilies, whether they grew as single plants or as part of large colonies, stood out on Whitetop Mountain.

The colors of various trillium blended with the other wildflowers.

We also saw many foam flowers, and their spikes swayed gently in the breeze.

As we continued down Whitetop Mountain to the end of our hike at Elk Garden, we saw what a difference elevation could have on bloom time. At the top, there had been no yellow mandarin blooms, but near Elk Garden the blooms had begun to unfurl.

Text and Photographs by Cecelia Butler Mathis

2 Mystery Plants...Do you know?

1) Is this some kind of clubmoss? You said YES.

You have chimed in unanimously with:

Shining Clubmoss

(Huperzia lucidula)

2) Could this be a type of Aster?? : ???

Four very knowledgable individuals have chimed in on this one, and consensus was not reached. The two ID's offered were:

2. Oxeye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)

4. Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus)

Do you have a guess? Or, is there not enough information in the photograph to allow for an accurate ID?

Detail:

Help with this ID!!!

What do you think these plants are?

***Please provide your best guess in the comments section below.

Those amazing and confusing Spring flowers

Flowers are of course some of the most beautiful objects within Nature's realm and they can be considered at a number of emotional and intellectual levels. If one thinks simply of the amazing variations in color and form, flowers can be perceived purely in terms of these aspects without any thought given to how or why they may look like this. There is nothing wrong with this "child-like" appreciation of flowers or nature in general, although it usually leads to a gradual accumulation of knowledge about natural patterns that are observed, and thus a more intellectual approach that involves some directed study. You might argue that asking questions about flowers might diminish their wonder, but I think it is actually the opposite. The more one learns about natural objects, the more fascinating and remarkable they become.

For example in walking around our farm in this glorious Spring-time I am struck by the diversity in form and color of flowers and what this might mean to their function. To take just three examples which are in bloom at this moment in early May, consider the "flowers" of the Fraser magnolia, the cranberry viburnum, and the ox-eye daisy (see attached photos). I put "flowers" in quotes to indicate that these flowers differ considerably in their structure. The magnolia is a very large single flower. The viburnum contains a group of flowers which are not equal- the large white flowers around the edge are sterile and are apparently designed to attract insects to the small fertile hermaphroditic flowers in the center. The familiar daisy (a composite) is a complex group of a large number of flowers which are specialized to produce either ray/petal or disc flowers; but the overall effect is that one is observing a single flower! You can see how these could represent an evolutionary sequence from the more primitive (magnolia) to the more advanced (daisy).

So what is a flower? It is simply a reproductive structure whose sole function is to propagate the species. The wonder lies in the incredibly complex forms and variations in patterns of growth, pollination and seed dispersal. Does the exhilarating riot of color and form exist only because of the eyes of insects and birds with color vision who will pollinate the flowers and disperse the seeds? Probably so, but we can consider ourselves fortunate that we are descended from primates with color vision who needed to be able to distinguish between ripe and green fruits and to distinguish leaf color.

Bill Dunson

Galax, VA & Englewood, FL

Spring Wildflowers, Mouth of Wilson, Va.

April 27

As you turn right onto Shady Shack Rd. (in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia), a right across the bridge at the old dam where parson's grist mill used to be... looking up you can see

trillium

, columbine, a white flower not

identified

, jack-in-the-pulpit, coming on

fiddle head

ferns and a host of other plants and flowers on the rocks and on the steep banks along Wilson Creek right before it opens up into the New River.

For all you flower lovers, all along the New River you can locate and identify a large variety of woodland wildflowers and plants. This should continue for at least another month.

-Michael wildflower