Critters and More from Flora-Quest

In the previous post, I covered some of the fantastic flora we found on Flora-Quest. Now I will focus on some of the fauna we found on our Streamside Discovery foray.


We found a few of these caterpillars munching on meadow rue. This is a Canadian Owlet, Calyptra canadensis. It will become a cool looking moth when it reaches maturity.

At one of our first stops, we hopped out of the van and heard the calls of Mountain Chorus Frogs, Pseudacris brachyphona. Its call sounds like one running their fingernail across the fine end of a comb.

In the same vernal pool we found the Mountain Chorus Frogs, we found egg masses of the Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum. You can see the tiny salamander larvae within the eggs. Diana Boyd from Keystone Flora native plant nursery is my lovely hand model. The egg mass has a green tinge due to a symbiotic algae, Oophilia amblystomatis. The jelly coating on the eggs prevents them from drying out, but it also can inhibit oxygen diffusion. The algae uses carbon dioxide produced by respiration from the developing salamander embryo and, in turn, produces oxygen through photosynthesis for the young salamander.

A red eft, the terrestrial juvenile stage of the Red-spotted Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens. This critter was boldly walking across a log, unafraid of anyone, and for good reason. If you decided to eat a red eft, you would be going to the hospital. They are extremely toxic. The poison from one red eft can kill approximately 2,500 mice.

Chris Staron holds an Eastern Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum, he discovered under a rock. The name comes from the old myth that the snakes were found in barns and would steal milk from the cows. The real reason they were found in the barns were to eat the rodents. Duh. :)

Josh Dyer, from Crawford County Park District found this cute Ring-necked Snake, Diadophis punctatus. Note the diagnostic ring around its neck and its yellow belly.

Josh is holding a Long-tailed Salamander, Eurycea longicauda longicauda, that John Howard found for the group. This one has a tail that is shorter than normal, indicating it is probably in the process of regrowing the tail. Salamanders can drop their tail when a predator grabs it, leaving the predator happily holding the tail while the salamander gets away. The salamander can regenerate, or regrow, the tail. 

This is a larval Kentucky Spring Salamander, Gyrinophilus porphyriticus duryi. It still had its gills. Josh is my hand model, again.

John Howard, naturalist extraordinaire, holds a life snake for me, one I had never seen before, this cute little Worm Snake, Carphophis amoenus. It looked just like a giant nightcrawler. 

What a great foray in a beautiful part of Ohio. If you haven't been to Flora-Quest, I suggest you check it out sometime. It occurs each year, the first weekend in May.

Flora-Quest 2011

Flora-Quest 2011 took place the weekend of April 29th-May 1st. Such a wonderful time with lots of good finds of plants and animals. I led a hike with John Howard called Streamside Discovery. We focused on some of the flora and fauna one might find along the streams in Scioto County. The following pics are of a few of the flowers we discovered. In a future post, I will cover some of the animals.

Pinkster Azalea, Rhododendron nudiflorum

Whorled Pogonia Orchid, Isotria verticillata

Large Yellow Lady's-slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens

.Pink Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium acaule

Dwarf Iris, Iris verna

Suburban Blooms

I have not been able to get out exploring much this spring, sadly, but I am enjoying my small suburban yard and surrounding woods looking for some blooming natives to get my 'fix' until I can get out into the wild. One of my favorites that does well in the woodland garden is Foamflower, Tiarella, a small plant with tiny white spikes of flowers and heart-shaped leaves.



Some other favorites: Goldenseal, Hydrastis candadensis, Twinleaf, Jeffersonia diphylla, and White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum.









Every woodland garden should have Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Wild Ginger, wich has a tiny red 'star' hiding under the leaves.















We try to use native shrubs in our landscaping, and those that have worked well are Blackhaw, Viburnum prunifolium, Black Chokeberry, Photinia melanocarpa, and Gray and Rough-leafed Dogwood (not pictured). Spicebush and Paw-paw, growing wild in the woods, help attract two beautiful butterflies to our yard: Spicebush and Zebra Swallowtail.

An Unusual Trillium

Toadshade, or Toad Trillium, or Sessile Trillium (Trillium sessile) is a common woodland flower in southern Ohio. Although some may not recognize it as a trillium, it has the same three petals, three sepals, and three whorled leaves.



But wait – this one looks a little odd. That’s because it isn’t the usual Trillium sessile, but Trillium recurvatum – Prairie Trillium. It has the same upright maroon petals, and the same mottled leaves. Here’s a T. sessile for comparison.



There are two main differences. The leaves are not sessile, but petiolate. In English, they aren’t attached directly to the stem (sessile), but instead have petioles, or stalks (petiolate). And the sepals (the small green triangles at the base of the flower) droop below the petals, instead of rising along with the petals – they are curved backward – recurved.



A less obvious, and more variable, difference is that T. recurvatum tends to be taller, with the leaves and flower being held farther off the forest floor.



T. recurvatum shares the same habitat as T. sessile – rich forest floors. The “prairie” in its common name is misleading – it does not occur in prairies. It is basically a midwestern species. It is common in Indiana, but its range barely extends into western Ohio, where it is considered to be a Threatened species.

So when you're walking through the woods of western Ohio in April, take a closer look at those ordinary Toadshades, and maybe you'll find a much rarer plant.

3rd Annual Midwest Native Plant Conference

Great News! The Midwest Native Plant Society conference committee is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 3rd Annual Midwest Native Plant Conference, to be held July 8, 9 & 10, 2011, at Bergamo Center in Dayton, OH. There is a great line-up of speakers, programs and field trips that are designed to "connect you with nature". All the conference vendors will be open to the public on Saturday, July 9, from 9:00 to 4:00 pm.

Registration and lodging forms, speaker, program and field trip information, as well as a conference agenda are all available at: http://www.midwestnativeplants.org.

Visit the website to sign-up to receive information about upcoming events and conference updates. Scholarships are available for young naturalists between the ages of 9 and 18. See website for details or reply to this message for more information.

We hope to see you there! Midwest Native Plant Society, Conference committee

Coming Soon to a Woods Near YOU!

Coming attractions, rated G for everyone. (Cue announcer's deep voice...)

Why is this flower so blue? Why does it hang its head. Find out the answer in the tear jerker, Virginia Bluebells.

A flower finds its rise to fame is up way to soon in the coming of age story, Shooting Star.

A case of mistaken identity causes this flower to question whether it is a fish or a plant in the groundbreaking drama the Trout Lily.

In this lighthearted comedy, someone forgets to bring in the laundry and causes a real scandal. See Dutchman's Breeches hanging out in a woods near you!

Now Playing...

Double trouble and spring is on the way when this duo makes an appearance. Salt n Peppa is in the house!

Above, a delicate innocent blossom, but what lies beneath is a tale of horror one cannot imagine. Come see the thriller Bloodroot, if you dare...



The Beach in November

Yesterday afternoon, I took advantage of the 70+ degree weather to visit the beach.


It’s actually a beach along the Great Miami River, in Shawnee Lookout Park, part of the Hamilton County, Ohio park district. The warm weather notwithstanding, the beach can be a pretty barren place, at least at first glance.


But the butterflies of summer – really late summer that is, or even fall – were still present. We have had quite an influx of southern butterflies this year, and a couple have obviously lingered into November. Despite several sub-freezing nights, this Common Buckeye, Junonia coenia, was still active, and looking not terribly worn.


Much rarer in Ohio, at least in normal years, is this poorly-photographed Dainty Sulphur, Nathalis iole. There were at least five individuals on the beach yesterday, and over 20 were here in September. They normally aren’t able to overwinter in Ohio, even as eggs. But they’ve been here in numbers long enough to deposit eggs, and if global warming gives an extraordinarily mild winter, then just maybe . . .


Except for the willows, there wasn’t much green on the beach. Most of the plants, including these Jimsonweeds, Datura stramonium, were just dried husks. Jimsonweed, while not native, is an interesting, and interesting-looking, plant. In the right quantities, various parts of the plants are hallucinogenic. In slightly smaller quantities, it is deadly.


As they dry, the seed heads split open to reveal masses of black seeds.

These stink bugs, quite possibly Brown Stink Bug, Euschistus servus, either knew the right dosage or, more likely, aren’t affected by the chemicals in the Jimsonweed. More importantly, I just liked the photograph.