On a walk in the Bowling Green, OH Wintergarden Park I photographed Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) going to see. It is easy to see why it is in the family with cranesbills and why in Europe it is sometimes called Wild Cranesbill. I was able to find a plant with a flower and a seed pod both for this photograph. I also spotted a wildflower that looks like a super dandelion. I did not have any books with me, so when I got home it appears to be a Hawkweed (Hieracium), probably a Meadow Hawkweed (Hieracium caespitosum) but there are a LOT of varieties of Hawkweed. This one had basal leaves only, with the flower cluster atop a 12-24 inch hairy stem. The basal leaves were also hairy on both sides.
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Chris and I have finished our Sunday wildflower walks at Oak Openings. Thanks to everyone who came out and walked with us. We had a GREAT time. On the last walk Sunday we saw Green Dragon along the Silver Trail. See photos below.
I ran across a website today on Ohio Plants. It is a site that is a companion to a course at OSU - Local Flora EEOB2210. It looks like a fairly complete and technical site with many photos and examples. And a simple website to remember - ohioplants.org !!
http://ohioplants.org/ Scientists at University of Manchester used micro-CT scanning to look at what happens when a caterpillar changes to a butterfly. Very neat 3D images. The first link is a short article, the 2nd link is a youtube video. The final link is the full article
http://www.cnet.com.au/3d-scanning-reveals-the-metamorphosis-of-a-butterfly-339344305.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxyZSzs7Seg&feature=player_embedded http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/10/84/20130304.full On Thursday I went looking for Solomon's Seal and Solomon's Plume to photograph. Getting a good picture of these that captures the look of the plant has been hard for me, so when Deb Nofzinger told me they were in bloom at Bradner Preserve, I went for a walk. I found both within a few steps on the path. They might need a few more days to fully open, but I took a lot of photos that I still have to sort through. This is one with both Solomon's Seal (left) and Solomon's Plume (right - also called False-Solomon's Seal) side by side. The Solomon's Seal has the flowers dangling below the main stem, while the Solomon's Plume has the flowers at the end. I also saw a plant that I did not recognize, so I took a few photos with hopes that Chris would recognize it. She did not, but after a bit of digging, I am fairly certain it is a Canada Mayflower, Maianthemum canadense, also know as the Canadian May-lily, False Lily of the Valley, Wild Lily of the Valley, of the Two-leaved Solomon's Seal. A photo of it is shown below. There are a number of very similar members of the Maianthemum family, but the region would define it as the Canada Mayflower (other species are restricted to the west coast or Asia, so unless it was planted by man..). Here are some links to additional information about the Canada Mayflower:
USDA Plant Database Wiki Illinois Wildflowers There was a large turnout with 18 people attending the MetroParks Toledo wildflower walk in Oak Opening Sunday. We went out the silver trail. The weather was a bit chilly, but it kept the mosquitoes away. Flowers that we saw that were in bloom included:
Sweet Cicely, Spring Beauty, May Apple, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Nodding (red) Trillium, Large White Trillium, Violet (blue, yellow and white), Wild Geranium, Early Meadow Rue, Marsh Marigold, Swamp Buttercup, Chickweed, Bedstraw, Golden Ragwort (Large swaths of this), Spring Cress, and Rue Anenomone. We saw these plants without blossoms: Skunk Cabbage, Trout Lily, Hepatic, and Jewel Weed It was a very good walk !!! - Lots of fun people. Randy & Chris Chris and I attended one of the current Wood County OCVN classes today on birds. Jim Witter did an outstanding job teaching inside in the morning, and then in the afternoon we took a trip to Magee Marsh for a taste of the Greatest Week in Birding. Besides many warblers, we also saw a Woodcock (right in the parking area), and some Blanding's turtles. See photos below.
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AuthorRandy Haar Archives
September 2015
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