Skunk Cabbage

Exciting to finally see the Skunk Cabbage blooming for the first time this last week of February. Because it is a winter blooming flower I forget to go looking for it, especially with the snow cover. I have read that the heat produced by the rapid growth of the flower will actually melt snow. The snow finally melted here in Grayson a couple of weeks ago and I was determined to find the flower this year. Knowing exactly where it grows on our property helped make it more easy to come up with but it was still difficult to spot. It was tucked into a recessed pocket of soil, in a low lying ravine with water seeping all around. Even though it is a reddish color it blended in very well with its' surroundings. I kept a check on it and eventually it emerged from the ground to about 4 inches and opened up somewhat to reveal the spadix, covered with tiny prickly flowers. I accidentally step on it. Luckily it is a thick and sturdy flower, and it released it's pungent stinky onion type odor. Likely the most unusual flower I've seen.

-Jane Floyd

A mistake leads to an unexpected insight

How often do we just muddle along without much clarity of thought? I found myself in this situation when I was returning from a very early breeding bird survey on one of Virginia's highest peaks (Whitetop) and noticed some interesting plants. One of these (see photo) was a mountain wood sorrel, which I mistakenly identified as a Spring beauty, since the flowers are similar (see photo). I realized that the leaves of wood sorrel are similar to those of a shamrock and thus completely unlike a Spring beauty, but discarded this thought. Later, several folks pointed out the error of my ways and I reflected on the similarity of these two flowers which are in completely separate families.

Generally when two plants or animals are quite similar there is a common origin and a close relationship. That is not the case here since wood sorrels (Oxalis) are in a distinctly different family from Spring beauty (Claytonia) which is a relative of purslane and portulaca. So why do the flowers look so similar? The most obvious explanation is that they have converged in structure and color due to similar function. So what do these flowers do? They propagate the species by producing seeds, usually by attracting pollinators. Since the color and form of flowers is closely matched to the type of pollinators, perhaps these two flowers are designed to attract similar insect pollinators? Aside from the color, one of the most distinctive aspects of these two flowers is the pattern of lines radiating from the center. What could be the purpose of such lines? The usual explanation is that they are guides to direct insects to the center of the flower. For example look at the third photo taken in our garden of a native bee (sweat or mason) in the flower of an yellow evening primrose which also has the radiating lines. Some geraniums also show distinct lines in the flowers. So this pattern is not uncommon in unrelated plants.

So why do insects need some help in finding the center of flowers? Flowers sometimes also have a dark throat patch (the so-called nectar guide) to provide an additional cue. Insects primarily use their compound eyes that may have good color vision (plus UV), but their acuity is not as good as ours. Thus they may depend on simple patterns and odor for flower recognition and orientation. It is apparent that flowers find it important to give their pollinators as much help as possible in locating the sources of nectar and pollen. This must facilitate the fertilization of flowers and thus speed the evolution of such adaptations in multiple lines of descent.

So let's resolve to pay a bit more attention out there and enjoy even more the fabulous array of diverse forms of flowers and attempt to fathom what their purposes are.

Bill Dunson

Galax, VA & Englewood, FL

Mystery Plant Identified!

Thanks to Connie Morris, we have an identification for the mystery plant: Lysimachia quadrifolia, whorled yellow loosestrife. Jane Floyd's hunch about loosestrife was correct. Connie used her keyed guide to the plants of North and South Carolina. The North Carolina Native Plant Society provides a picture and an explanation that the plant may turn red when it gets a lot of light, but the bloom will be yellow. Connie Morris teaches Appalachian Studies and history and furnished background information for the Blue Ridge Discovery Center's Whitetop Wildflower Walk (5/24).

The May 1 Byrom Park Bioblitz, species noted by Team 10

The Central Virginia Blue Ridge

has a new forest preserve on the way. On May 1, a large group of scientists and naturalists (60+) descended upon the area for a preliminary biological assessment. I was on team 10, and here are some of the things we saw.

-On the eastern flank of the Blue Ridge in Central Virginia

-Lat/long: 38.227902,-78.660403

-Elevation survey range (Trail E) 1270' -1850'

-Survey Team #10

Geology

-Catoctin Formation (Metabasalt)

-Charnockite

At site E-10, in the stream, there were large and beautiful specimens of microcrystaline quartz ranging from bright greens to deep reds. This very well could have been a material source for Native Americans.

Noteable Habitats

Wildflower meadow (E-1).

This spot is unusual in that it is a bit of a flat area on the mountainside. The bedrock is the mafic and mineral rich Catoctin greenstone, probably adding to the diversity at the site. This habitat would be a good wildflower destination, particularly for its thick grove of showy orchis, but also for the dozen or so other wildflowers that are blooming there on May 1.

Mafic Boulder (E-2).

Wildflowers

The woods were full. Most of these were observed at site E-1, at the top of the E trail.

Indian Cucumber Root (not in bloom)

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Showy Orchis

False Solomon's Seal (budding)

Early Meadow Rue

Tall Meadow Rue

Perfoliate Bellwort

Wild Geranium

Pink Lady's Slipper (along E trail at elevation 1320 +/-)

Early Saxifrage

Puttyroot Orchid (***past bloom***).

A reader more knowledgable than I pointed out that this plant flowers after the leaves die back! So, this plant was NOT past bloom.

Ferns

Common Polypody (growing on the giant mafic boulder, E-2)

Cut-leafed grape fern

Amphibians

American Toad

Northern Dusky Salamander

Seal Salamander

Southern Two-lined Salamander

Eastern Red-backed Salamander

White spotted Slimy Salamander

Eastern Newt, red eft stage

Mammal tracks

Bear scat

Bobcat urine...territory marker (pee -yhooo!). (At E-8)

Trees

Giant White pine (E-8) circ. 8', 5".

Giant Chestnut Oak (E-9) circ. 10', 6".

Groves of slippery elm, witch hazel, spicebush

A low elevation striped maple

Other

Canadian Owlet moth caterpillar (on the early meadow rue)

Gold Brown Rove Beetle (in the bear scat)

Make sure you "Mark" your posts

When you post, be sure to put a few search words in the "labels for this post" section at the bottom of the post creation page. For example, in the prior mushroom post, I typed in "mushrooms"...so now you can enter mushrooms in the search box on the blog home page and quickly find all pictures of mushrooms.

For this page I'm typing in wildflower, jack in the pulpit, jack, and April among others.

Be sure to at least include a general search tagline like "trees", "streams", "geology" etc.

Best to all.