Month: April 2006

Barberry, Newts and A Cow Rub

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In autumn I collect a few sprigs of the Japanese barberry for some greenery and a splash of color. The red berries that dangle down from the barbed branches are perfect for a little Christmas decoration. There are several of the barberry plants along the water stream that runs off from the pond. I only found one Japanese barberry plant blooming and it was situated high in the woods on the west side of the lane. I watched a bumble bee visit a few of the yellow, solitary flowers. None of the barberry near the runoff of the pond were blooming. The Japanese barberry is another alien plant that has escaped cultivation and adapted to local growing conditions. The pretty, scarlet red fruits hang from the leaf axils.

Yellow blooms of the Japanese barberry hang from the leaf axils.
Yellow blooms of the Japanese barberry hang from the leaf axils.

As I approached the pond I saw and heard several frogs jump in. Standing near the pond I spotted the first newts of the season. I saw a couple red spotted newts come up for a breath of air and then dive back down to a deeper area. The pond is pretty muddy-looking, partly from the goldfish that were seen spawning a few days ago, and partly from the plankton bloom that is happening. The newts were at the surface as they danced, one wrapping his tail around the other. They broke apart and embraced only a couple times before sinking back to the depths.

Violet mania has struck! Each time I drive or walk down the lane I go slowly to savor the beauty of the violets since I know their days are numbered.

Violets adorn our country lane at many places.
Violets adorn our country lane at many places.

The Common Blue Violet has five petals, like any other Viola species, with the two lower lateral petals being bearded and all three lower petals heavily lined.

Common blue violet up close showing bearded petals.
Common blue violet up close showing bearded petals.

Coltsfoot is doing a mating dance all its own. The once bright yellow flowers now look like dandelions’ heads just before you blow off the seeds. The coltsfoot leaves are giving away their namesake — the shape of a colt’s foot.

Colt's foot leaves are apparent as the flowers are ready to re-seed themselves.
Colt’s foot leaves are apparent as the flowers are ready to re-seed themselves.

One reason that I enjoy taking flower walks is that I can take my time and really observe things up close. For instance, consider this little weed, called Gill-Over-the-Ground. It is a very low-growing plant that noone driving a car will ever see. It has beautiful, irregular flowers, much like an orchid in shape, which are blue and violet. It is an established alien plant. As a member of the mint family it has been used traditionally in folk medicine for treatment of lung and kidney ailments and as a blood purifier.

Gill-Over-the-Ground is also known as Ground Ivy and will bloom until July.
Gill-Over-the-Ground is also known as Ground Ivy and will bloom until July.

The Pink Lady Slippers are about 4 inches out of the ground. Their blooming should be right around Mother’s Day.

A favorite woodland flower is also blooming that we take special pride in announcing. The fairy wings are blooming! Fringed polygala, or gaywings as they’re called, look like little fairies. Of the five sepals two lateral ones look like wings. The three petals form a tube from which the stamens erupt in a round, fringed little fairy head. Fairy wings are members of the milkwort family. In olden days it was thought that if a nursing woman, or cow for that matter, ate milkwort then her milk production would increase. Don’t know if there is any truth to that tale.

Fringed polygala, Gaywings, or Fairy Wings, are delights to see on a woodland path!
Fringed polygala, Gaywings, or Fairy Wings, are delights to see on a woodland path!

Speaking of cows, who said they are dumb animals? Check out this big girl using a wire to scratch an itch!

Cow rubbing her rear end itch.
Cow rubbing her rear end itch.
Cow rubbing her front end itch.
Cow rubbing her front end itch!

Wild Ginger and Pedro

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The Wild Ginger has made a nice comeback from last year. The roots are sprouting up twice as many plants and the flowers that hug the ground are beginning to bloom. The rounded, heart-shaped leaves are still somewhat crinkley.

Wild ginger is a native perennial with a unique flower that sits on the ground.
Wild ginger is a native perennial with a unique flower that sits on the ground.

The wild ginger was obtained from a native plant conference that will take place again at Millersville University, June 2 and 3, 2006. The native plant sale is open to the public and it is a great place to talk with other native plant enthusiasts.

The mimosa trees are just now starting to show their buds. They must be one of the last to wake up from winter.

Lily-of-the-Valley plants are up and their flowers are formed, but not yet open. Can’t wait to take a whiff of these lovely perennials!

Lily-of-the-Valley has showy white flowers and a wonderful scent, too!
Lily-of-the-Valley has showy white flowers and a wonderful scent, too!

To my dismay I found at least one Eastern Hemlock tree is infected with the dreaded wooly adelgid. A couple hemlocks deeper in the woods are apparently not yet infected, but this tree that shows the telltale white blobs on the underside of small branches certainly is. I suspect the traffic that passes by the infected tree may have had a hand in bringing the pests to it. This hemlock sits next to the farmer’s lane that the farmer uses to reach a field adjacent to our property. Pickup trucks, four-wheelers, sprayers, tractors and combines have all passed by and who knows where else they’ve been.

The white blobs on the underside of the Eastern Hemlock branches are Wooly Adelgid pests.
The white blobs on the underside of the Eastern Hemlock branches are Wooly Adelgid pests.

My Wild False Indigo has taken three years from seed to get this far. I can’t wait to see it blooming!

Wild False Indigo started from a planted seed three years ago.
Wild False Indigo started from a planted seed three years ago.

In my walk around the property today I spotted someone watching me. Pedro! No, the farmer doesn’t employ any illegal aliens, but that is the name I have given the yellow and white tabby cat that must be one of the barn cats. Can you spot Pedro?

Pedro watching me watching him.
Pedro watching me watching him.

Bagging the Bag Worms

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Today I started out taking a walk with intentions of finding some flowers to photograph, but when I saw so many bag worms my plans were changed. I went back to the house, grabbed a couple of plastic grocery bags and headed back into the woods that separate the house from the farmer’s field. In this small area I bagged the bag worms, or tent worms if you prefer, from nearly a dozen small trees. An entomologist would call them Eastern Tent Caterpillars, Malacosoma americanum.

In the past I have burned them out with a lighter or used a stick to scramble their nest. Today, I thought to physically remove them from the cherry trees that they seem to prefer. Is it the taste of the leaves? Why do these destructive caterpillars choose cherry trees for their nests? Is it because many of the cherry trees are already damaged by a blight? I’ll research this a bit, but if anyone can enlighten me — please do!

Bag worms, also called tent worms, are infesting this small cherry tree.
Bag worms, also called tent caterpillars, are infesting this small cherry tree.

Wrapping my hand from the outside of the bag over the nest, squishing the worms into a big handful and sliding them into the plastic was pretty gross! I got over it though. I don’t like the idea of spraying chemicals to kill things, so manually removing the worms was necessary. Burning them out was not possible due to the dry state of things at the moment. If left untouched, the caterpillars would eat every leaf on their tree and other nearby trees.

Wild Oats and Garlic Mustard

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Well, the early Spring ephemerals are gone from the woods now. New blooms are taking their place while other plants are just starting out. It’s interesting that a plant will be blooming in the lower ground but not so in the woodlands higher up the ridge. I’m a little surprised to see such a difference in blooming times for a change of only about 30 feet in elevation. The Sessile-leaved Bellwort, also known as Wild Oats, was blooming on the lower ground near the spring, but those on the higher flat land have not yet developed their flowers. The higher bellworts have about 3 sets of leaves now.

Wild Oats blooming in the low lands.
Wild Oats blooming in the low lands.

Soloman’s Seal is developing its flowers, but none were found blooming yet.

The dogwood trees certainly are blooming, and will continue for another week or so.

Dogwood blooms in the forest.
Dogwood blooms in the forest.

The mustards are blooming in full. There are over 130 species in the NorthEast, so identifications can be difficult. As members of the Cruciferae family, each mustard has four regular petals in the shape of a cross. Familiar vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower, belong to this group. Garlic mustard is easily identified, however, by its stalked, somewhat triangular or heart-shaped leaves that have the odor of garlic when crushed. Garlic mustard is an alien plant that has become established nearly everywhere, to the demise of some native plants. Feel free to pull it out!

Garlic mustard showing the typical four-petal flowers and triangular leaves.
Garlic mustard showing its triangular or heart-shaped leaves.
Garlic mustard showing the typical four-petal flowers.

Garlic mustard showing the typical four-petal flowers.

I spotted a couple of the Wild Geraniums blooming near the pond runoff. Those adjacent to the lane and those higher up the land are still developing their greenery.
Wild geranium blooming is just beginning.
Wild geranium blooming is just beginning.

In contrast to the single blooms of a few different plants, there are violets blooming everywhere. It is so pleasing to see so many violets bloom at once! The Common Blue Violet, Viola sp., with its heart-shaped leaves seems to be in its glory near the pond. The two lower side petals are bearded and the central lower petal is not.

The Common Blue Violet has heart-shaped leaves.
The Common Blue Violet has heart-shaped leaves.
The Common Blue Violet has heart-shaped leaves.
The Common Blue Violet is rather plentiful!

Rue Anemone and Sassafras

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The trees are beginning to leaf out in earnest now. Cherry trees are showing their white blossoms which are short-lived and last for about a week. On the left side of the drive you can see a cherry tree blooming.

Cherry blossoms brighten the driveway as the trees are still developing their leaves.
Cherry blossoms brighten the driveway as the trees are still developing their leaves.

There is a little patch of Rue Anemone along the gravel road which comes back year after year. This patch receives morning sun and is shaded in the afternoon by a big oak tree. Rue anemone is also known as Windflower, Anemonella thalictroides. The three-lobed leaves are in whorls and the white to pink petals, sepals really, number 5 to 11. A root tea was used by Native Americans to treat diarrhea and vomiting. As always take caution in ingesting any member of the buttercup family, like Rue Anemone, as they are toxic to some degree.

Rue anemone, or Windflower, is a showy Spring woodland flower.
Rue anemone, or Windflower, is a showy Spring woodland flower.

Mayapples are making their appearance for the season. Their large umbrella-like leaves emerge from the ground in a rolled-up fashion, slowly unfurling to a more erect posture. Here, a stand of mayapples is just coming up. Flowers of mayapple,
Podophyllum peltatum, will appear in a couple weeks.

Mayapple, also known as American Mandrake, is a perennial woodland favorite.
Mayapple, also known as American Mandrake, is a perennial woodland favorite.

Walking about the woods this week I did see my first snake — a small, brownish garter snake. I was surprised that I had not seen any snakes until this point in the season as we have been having unusually mild weather. Since the first sighting, a black snake and another garter have been spotted.

The dogwood trees are beginning to bloom. A faint white color is noticeable from a distance, but the blossoms should be more prominent in a few days.

A favorite tree of mine is Sassafras, Sassafras albidum. It is a member of the Laurel family along with cinnamon, sweet bay, avocado and spice bush. When the leaves or branchlets are broken they give off a pleasant odor. I’ll often break off a leaf or stem of sassafras for a little do-it-yourself aromatherapy. The sassafras flowers about the time the leaves are starting to appear. Male flowers have 9 stamens and female flowers have 6 sterile stamens and a central pistil. Each flower is small, 5 to 8 mm in diameter, and has 3 yellow petals and 3 yellow sepals that look alike.

Sassafras male flowers are showy at the edge of the woods.
Sassafras male flowers are showy at the edge of the woods.

April Blooms

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Grape hyacinth and tulips are the only garden flowers that are blooming right now. I have always liked looking inside tulips to see their patterns. This purple tulip is showing a white and blue design on the inside of the petals. The bright yellow stamens have shed some pollen probably with the help of a bee or other pollinator.

The inside of this tulip has a design you can't see from the outside.

The inside of this tulip has a design you can’t see from the outside.

We also planted some wild ginger (Asarum canadense), a native plant, and I was happy to see it breaking out of the ground. The flowers will come a little later in the spring. One of our two peach trees is blooming. The second peach tree is putting up suckers and most of the woody parts from last year appear dead. It is planted a little too close to the septic drain field and I will try moving it to a different location.

Peach blossoms are giving off a very faint, fruity scent.
Peach blossoms are giving off a very faint, fruity scent.

Ferns that volunteered next to the house are showing their little fiddle heads. Each year this batch of fern looks lovelier than the previous year’s growth. It is thriving in the shade on the north side of the house. Several pieces of the root have been transplanted to different areas in hopes of propagating it.

Ferns rolling out their fiddle heads.
Ferns rolling out their fiddle heads.

Cinquefoil with its five bright yellow petals and five-part leaves is running all over part of the backyard. It seems to thrive in areas nearest the large oak trees where grass has a hard time growing, most likely due to a lack of sufficient water. Most would call it a weed but I enjoy seeing the bright yellow flowers dotting the landscape.

Cinquefoil flowers are a happy yellow sight.
Cinquefoil flowers are a happy yellow sight.

Dandelions are taking over part of the front yard. This shot of the leaves is simply here to compare with goatsbeard when I see it blooming.

Dandelions are ok in my yard. No attempt at monoculture here!
Dandelions are ok in my yard. No attempt at monoculture here!

Another native flower that we have growing in the same area as the cinquefoil is the northern violet. Northern violet has downy, oblong-shaped leaves instead of the typical heart-shaped leaves of the common violet.

The oblong leaves are distinctive to Northern violet.
The oblong leaves are distinctive to Northern violet.

I was pleasantly surprised to see another patch of hepatica in the woods yesterday. White hepatica was found blooming in the northeast corner of the property on a north-west facing slope. It was adjacent to a large patch of purple, round-leaved hepatica.

Round-leaved hepatica blooming white in the woods.
Round-leaved hepatica blooming white in the woods.

Spring in North Carolina

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Looks like we’ll be lucky this year and experience two Spring bloomings! Vacationing in North Carolina last week we saw dogwoods, azaleas, lilacs, oxalis, violets, buttercups, wild strawberries and vincas in full bloom. The timing was too early for the garden roses, although there were buds present, and we were just in time to see the first garden iris bloom.

This beautiful iris just opened to greet the sunrise.
This beautiful iris just opened to greet the sunrise.

On our next trip to North Carolina I’ll get a cutting of this gorgeous Formosa azalea — its blossoms are probably two to three times the size of a typical azalea bloom.

Beautiful Formosa azalea practically shouted — It's Spring!.
Beautiful Formosa azalea practically shouted — It’s Spring!

A wildflower that caught my eye was the Star-of-Bethlehem which appeared in the lawn. The white blossoms contrast nicely with its bright yellow stamens. It has a habit much like the oxalis in that its blooms open in the sunlight and close without the sun. It took until about noontime on a sunny day for the blooms to fully open. The Star-of-Bethlehem has basal leaves that are entire and have a pale midrib. The white petals have a distinctive green stripe on the backside.

The white blossoms of Star-of-Bethlehem open only in the sunshine.
The white blossoms of Star-of-Bethlehem open only in the sunshine.

We stayed with friends on our vacation to collect marine fossils from sediments that date back to over one million years. Their very affectionate cat, Squeaky, found a great place to soak up the morning sun as he lay near the pink azaleas in full bloom.

Squeaky soaks up the sun!
Squeaky soaks up the sun!

We had a fantastic time on our trip and can’t wait to repeat it. During the recuperative days when we were not crawling around on our hands and knees looking for fossils, we enjoyed our time visiting with our friends and watching the hummingbirds chase each other from the sugar water feeders. The plentiful flowers attracted many swallowtail butterflies like this female on a lilac blossom.

A female swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from a lilac.
A female swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from a lilac.

Thanks to Pat and Ken for a fantastic vacation! See you again real soon!!

The Blooming Begins

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For the past week or so I have been watching the maple trees awake from their winter slumber. For a long time I never considered trees very much or even thought about how they propagate themselves. Who knew that trees flower? Of course the beautiful ornamental trees like crabapples or the fruit trees like apples and peaches flower — how else would they provide their fruits? And the regular old trees of the forest? They blossom, too, as many allergy sufferers can tell you. The tree pollen is in the air here and the earliest culprit seems to be the maples.

This maple tree has been blooming for more than a week.
This maple tree has been blooming for more than a week.

We should have planted this beautiful star magnolia nearer to the house so we could smell the sweet blossoms through an open window.

A beautiful star magnolia in full bloom.
A beautiful star magnolia in full bloom.

On Friday I walked around the property and finally spotted my favorite flower in bloom — the round-leaved hepatica. A member of the buttercup family, hepatica appears in Pennsylvanian woodlands before the trees produce their leaves. For a couple weeks I have spotted the waxy leaves that over-winter under the cover of oak leaves. After a rain on Thursday the blossoms appeared the next day. It has been very dry this winter and spring. Only four blossoms have been seen. So far, I have only seen hepatica on the upper part of a west-facing slope near the big stand of hemlock trees. Last year there were at least 11 individual plants in this area and they produced many more blossoms that what I have seen this year.

Round-leaved hepatica in bloom.
Round-leaved hepatica in bloom.

A single grape hyacinth plant returned from last year’s planting. Since there are so many squirrels and chipmunks in the area, I guess we should be glad to see any bulbs make it from one year to the next.

Grape hyacinth showing off its grape-like, deep purple flowers.
Grape hyacinth showing off its grape-like, deep purple flowers.