Becky and I spotted this cute little guy on a rock face on our anniversary trip in Shenandoah National Park, VA. Campanula divaricata Michx. [gallery]
Becky and I took the tour of Luray Caverns today and it was cool seeing all of the stalactites and stalagmites. Some of them were rather spectacular. On the way out about 200 or 300…
Today while looking for oaks with acorns along South Road. I stumbled on to a hybrid oak that I have identified as Bush's Oak (Quercus ×bushii Sarg. It is a cross between a Blackjack Oak…
Along Bald Eagle Drive, I spotted a odd-ball looking Black Oak (Quercus velutina). My first inclination is to simply call it a pure Black Oak, but its leaves are not typical. I believe there is…
Last year I found a hybrid oak at Loblolly Fork and identified it as Quercus X subfalcata Trel. Only it was not bearing any acorns. Today I went back to see if it was producing…
[caption id="attachment_795" align="alignleft" width="300"]Giant Puffball with a Papermate pencil for perspective[/caption] Today at church my son A.J. pointed out a large fungus fruiting body in the flower bed just outside of the chapel. It is…
Today, I revisited the site where I found some Northern Slender Lady's Tresses Orchid (Spiranthes lacera (Raf.) Raf. var. gracilis (Bigelow) Luer.) two years ago. I visited the site last year but there were no…
[caption id="attachment_756" align="alignleft" width="199" caption="Bill standing next to an old stump presumed to be an American Chestnut."][/caption] Today, due to the kind help of Dennis Green, one of the longtime volunteers at the North Tract,…
I spotted a patch of common teasel - Dipsacus fullonum ssp. sylvestris (Huds.) Clapham next to the road in Lawrenceville, PA and decided to take some pictures. This is the wild form of the teasel…
While exploring the south side of Beaver Valley, I came across a population of Small Green Wood Orchid or Club Spur Orchid (Platanthera clavellata (Michx.) Luer). The plants were found in a boggy seepage area…
SPRING IS HERE! Today along the Little Patuxent River Trail spotted the first Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica L.) of the year blooming. By comparison last year, the spring beauty was spotted on 16 March. By…
Today, I spotted some American Hazelnut (Corylus americana Walter) along Bald Eagle Drive just north of the Contact Station. It was in full bloom with both male (staminate) flowers and female (pistillate) flowers. The staminate…
[caption id="attachment_437" align="alignleft" width="228" caption="Flowers"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_440" align="alignright" width="228" caption="Flowers"][/caption] After checking out the giant sycamore, I decided to check out the Birmingham Manor Ruins located in the Southwest corner of the North Tract. I…
[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Bill Standing next to the Giant Sycamore"][/caption] Today, Ranger Jeff Bolden and I visited our Giant Sycamore on the North Tract. Although, the tree is not a state champion, it is…
Today, Joe DiGiovanni and I went out to the Duvall Cemetery just to look around. While there I realized that I had not collected a specimen from the Thuja occidentalis or Eastern Arborvitae/Northern Whitecedar tree…
[caption id="attachment_213" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Satellite view of the Main Entrance area"][/caption] Today, I decided to take some pictures of the area around the Main Entrance and the Main Gate. (Yes, two different locations.) The main…
The Sawtooth Oak (Quercus acutissima Carruthers) is not native to North America, but rather it is native to Asia. It is sometimes found planted as an ornamental tree in North America. Two of its distinguishing…
Common dodder or Scaldweed (Cuscuta gronovii Willd. ex Schult. var. gronovii) is the most common species of dodder in the northeastern part of the USA and adjacent Canada. Dodders are fascinating parasitic plants. After the…
Is this Rubus trivalis? Today, this plant was discovered on the North Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge, in a wet area alongside the road. The prickles on the stems were not as robust as…