September 2nd. (Continued
from… ). When I visited Fort Yargo State Park in mid-February, there were
few signs of Spring. The only wildflower plants that were obvious were the
leaves of Cranefly Orchids (Tipularia
discolor) that I found in many places.
The route… I’ve described it here, here, here, and here This walk doesn’t have the variety of wildflowers as my other
walk from the Group A Shelter to the Old Fort but it does have some gems. One
of the Smallflower Pawpaw (Asimina
parviflora) had developed fruit that, unfortunately, it had lost; the Pink
Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
Orchids had bloomed, and some Green Adder’s-mouth (Malaxis unifolia) Orchids had bloomed and two were setting seeds. For
the moment, some wildflowers we still blooming but there was a lull between
seasons. I had thought that the slime mold fruiting was done for the year, but
I was in for a surprise. There were new fungi to be found too.
No sooner had I started up the hill, than I found yet more…
mushrooms belonging to the genus Suillus. These had…
slippery caps. These were identified by friends on the Facebook
Mushroom Identification Forum as Slippery Jill (Suillus salmonicolor). Mushroom s belonging to this species have a…
gelatinous ring from their veil that has a…
thick white lower edge that is quite evident in this bud.
I found another pair of suillus mushrooms ‘hiding’ under a tree root still further
up the hill. These were…
similar to the pair that I had found earlier in this walk;
dry caps with no rings. These had been identified as Suillus tomentosus.
At the top of the hill, I found more Coral Slime (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa) fruiting
bodies.
I walked down to the bench before the final climb up the
hill. There on the ground was a…
feather. I think it may have belonged to a Great Horned Owl
(Bubo virginianus).
On the final section of the trail out of the woods, I
noticed a flower than I hadn’t seen on the way in. Immediately, I realized that
it was Carolina Elephantsfoot (Elephantopus
carolinianus). I had been looking for this species for several years but
had never found it. The reason that I hadn’t seen it was that the flowers close
up at night and had not opened by the time I walked in.
The flowers are very similar to those of the Hairy
Elephantsfoot (Elephantopus tomentosus) but the bracts are elongated and soft
compared with the more triangular and hairy bracts of the Hairy Elephantsfoot.
The other distinguishing characteristic of the Carolina Elephantsfoot were the…
large leaves on the stems of the plant compared with the
lack of leaves on the stems of the Hairy Elephantsfoot; this latter species has
a rosette of large leaves at the base of the stem. So, now I know for certain
how to differentiate between these species. It’s interesting that, at least in
this area, the Carolina Elephantsfoot blooms later than the Hairy
Elephantsfoot.
Out on the open trail, I found two different Eupatorium sp.
The first was the...
Hyssopleaf Thoroughwart (Eupatorium
hyssopifolium), and the second was the…
Lateflowering Thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum).
Brazilian Vervain (Verbena
brasiensis) was still blooming in this same area.
A couple of small Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulatum) were still blooming in the area under the
power lines.
Then I noticed an old friend; Climbing Hempweed (Mikania scandens). There were lots of blooms but it took some work tracing the
vine to find their…
characteristically shaped leaves.
The final spotting on the trail this week was Hairy Small-leaved
Ticktrefoil (Desmodium ciliare), also
blooming in the area under the power lines.
Identification references:
- Kuo, M. Mushroom Expert.com: Suillus
salmonicolor
- Kuo, M. Mushroom Expert.com: Suillus tomentosus
- Messiah College: Ceratiomyxa
fruticulosa
- The Found Spider: Found
Feathers and the Feather Atlas
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Elephantopus
carolinianus
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Eupatorium
hyssopifolium
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the
Carolinas and Georgia: Eupatorium serotinum
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Mikania scandens
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Desmodium ciliare
Related posts:
- Summer On A Fort Yargo State Park
Trail: Section B To The Dam, July 29th (Part 1)
-
Spring Is In The Air: Fort Yargo State Park, Section B To The Dam, May 1st
(Part 2)
