This afternoon, I took a quick jaunt out to Lake Allen to take some pictures of the Eastern Prickly Pear, a type of cactus that is found on the Refuge. Its scientific name is Opuntia…
(Photo of a maleberry shrub in habit.) [caption id="attachment_3581" align="alignleft" width="300"] Previous year's seed capsules.[/caption] Maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina (L.) DC.) is an Ericad (member of Ericaceae - Heath Family) that is found on the refuge…
(Click on the thumbnails below for larger views of the photos.) This keys out to Carex amphibola Steud. or Eastern Narrowleaf Sedge. I originally keyed it out to Carex willdenowii, but Wes Knapp suggested that…
Specimens of immature plants were collected on 9 May 2015. I went back to the same site on 2 June and collected some specimens of more mature plants. Maybe they are now mature enough…
Today, while on South Tract of the refuge I found another species of Dewberry. It is known as Swamp Dewberry (Rubus hispidus L.) and is also called Bristly Dewberry due to its presence of numerous…
(Photo above: close up of inflorescence.) [caption id="attachment_3270" align="alignleft" width="200"] Inflorescence[/caption] This morning I visited the North Tract's Pitch Pine Barrens area and found a fairly good-sized patch of Staggerbush in full bloom.…
The Cut-leaf Evening Primrose is in its prime on the refuge. It is native to most of North America, except for the far western regions. Its scientific name is Oenothera laciniata Hill. In…
The northern dewberry (also known as the common dewberry) is in full bloom on the refuge right now. Its accepted scientific name is Rubus flagellaris Willd. It is native to eastern North America from the…
Earlier this week, on the Maryland Biodiversity Project pages I saw a couple of photos of One-flowered Cancer root (Orobanche uniflora L.) on the North Tract taken by Richard Orr. Wow, since I have not…
[caption id="attachment_3083" align="alignleft" width="300"] Close up of flowers[/caption] This afternoon, I went looking for bogs that I had not found yet. On the edge of one of the bogs were some Deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum) bushes. …
(Photo above: a picture of a plant with the rhizomes clearly visible.) [caption id="attachment_2927" align="alignleft" width="300"] A look at the inner part of the flower. You can see the beard hairs on the lateral petals…
Today, I drove down Telegraph Road stopped by a swamp about a 1/2 mile south of Wildlife Loop. The swamp is called a Southern New England/Northern Piedmont Red Maple Seepage Swamp (USNVC: CEGL006406). In the…
I keyed this out to Vaccinium corymbosum. It is in full bloom right now at the bog site. I did not collect a sample, just the pictures. Can someone confirm this? I would like a…
Today while slogging around in the magnolia bog I came upon some Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (L.) C. Presl.) fiddleheads. They look ghostly to me because they are mostly white with a little bit…
Gratiola pilosa Michx. shaggy hedgehyssop
Did you know that the Patuxent Research Refuge is the home to several types of hybrid oaks? Read on to learn more. The oak-rich Patuxent Research Refuge has 16 native oak species, one naturalized exotic…
[caption id="attachment_1569" align="alignleft" width="300"] Carey's Balsamroot - full flower head[/caption] Carey's Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza careyana A. Gray) is found on east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon. This member of the Aster Family (Asteraceae)…
[caption id="attachment_1811" align="alignleft" width="300"] Plants in habit[/caption] Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) is an aromatic evergreen shrub from the Aster Family (Asteraceae). It is native to Intermountain West of North America, thriving in arid and…
[caption id="attachment_1803" align="alignleft" width="300"] Plants in habit[/caption] Descurainia pinnata (Walter) Britton is a member of the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae) known as the Western Tansymustard. It is an annual native to North America and is found…
[caption id="attachment_1774" align="alignleft" width="300"] Typical mat growing habit of the low pussytoes.[/caption] The Low Pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha (Nutt.) Torr. & A. Gray) is a mat-forming low growing perennial member of the Aster family (Asteraceae) which…