Bill's Botanical ForaysJournal
Matt Beziat –
Nature Photographer Extraordinaire
Anyone from Maryland (and beyond) who follows the nature photography pages on Facebook will certainly recognize Matt’s name. He is a prolific photographer who with his smartphone and camera, takes the most amazingly stunning photographs of nature. His subjects include plants, birds, insects, and scenery. He has won recognition for his images from Flicker and […]
Hypopitys monotropa Crantz. – Pinesap
21 September 2018
Hypopitys monotropa Crantz. is a member of the Ericaceae family. Its common names include Dutchman’s pipe, false beech-drops, pinesap, or yellow bird’s-nest. Its natural range is circumboreal and is found throughout North America. The plants do not contain chlorophyll and is caled a myco-heterotroph because it gets its food through parasitism upon fungi rather than […]
13 May 2020 – Ranunculus flabellaris
Earlier this week, Chris Winton of the Patuxent Research Refuge Plant Inventory Project spotted a type of buttercup that we had not seen on the refuge before. On 13 May 2020 we visited the location where he had spotted this “new” buttercup. Lo and behold, we determined it was Ranunculus flabellaris. Since this was a […]
Pine Needle Gall Midge –
Thecodiplosis cf. brachynteroides on Virginia Pine –
5 July 2019
Matt Beziat and I spotted some Pine Needle Gall Midge (Thecodiplosis cf. brachynteroides) parasitizing in a Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) on the North Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge.
Juncus brachycarpus –
Whiteroot Rush
18 June 2019
This is a rarely reported species. I found it in a wet meadow on the North Tract of the Refuge When I first tried to determine the plant’s name, I thought it was Rhynchospora capitellata, a fairly common beaksedge. I posted it to a Facebook page for sedges to verify my initial determinination. I was […]
Milestone Reached –
Collection Number 10000 –
15 June 2019
Well, I just reached a cool milestone with my plant collection – I just hit collection number 10000. It was an Opuntia probably O. humifusa s.s. collected at the Cromwell Valley Park in Parkville, Maryland, 15 June 2019. I know I will never surpass prolific collectors like Clyde Reed whose collection number surpassed 150000 or […]
Ophioglossum pycnostichum –
13 June 2019
Ophioglossum pycnostichum (Southern Adders Tongue) is native to Southeastern North America. Some authors subsume this species under Ophioglossum vulgatum s.l. which is found in Europe and Asia. Even though it does not look like it, it is a type of a primitive fern. The sporophore (the spore bearing spike) is said to resemble […]
Cactus citizen science project – Locating Maryland cactus populations and identifying species.
Did you know that there are three putative species of cacti in Maryland? Lucus Majure, PhD. at Florida at the Museum of Natural History in Gainesville has recently updated the taxonomy of the cactus native to the East Coast of the USA. According to his treatment, there are three species native to Maryland. So it […]
Viola primulifolia –
Primrose-leaved Violet
Viola primulifolia or Primrose-leaved Violet is an acaulescent viola meaning that the flowering stem grows from the crown of the plant along with the leaves. Its natural range is Eastern USA from Maine in the north, Iowa and Texas in the west, and Florida in the South. It prefers wet areas like seepages. It […]
Liparis liliifolia –
Purple Twayblade – Part 2
31 May 2019
Today, we visited a second site where Liparis liliifolia (Purple Twayblade) was growing on the Refuge. We looked around and found several patches of these lovely orchids thriving. In all, it is possible we spotted over 100 individual plants. I am sure that if we spent more time in the area, we could have found […]
Opuntia cespitosa –
Eastern Prickly Pear –
31 May 2019
The Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia cespitosa) is in full bloom on the Patuxent Research Refuge today by Lake Allen on the North Tract. This species differs from the other two species of Opuntia found in Maryland by the reddish area at the base of the petals, and smooth spines found mainly on the margins […]
Rubus hispidus – Swamp Dewberry
25 May 2019
After we re-discovered the location of the Liparis liliifolia on the North Tract, Dave and I did a little foraying in the powerline area. We found some patches of Rubus hispidus (Swamp Dewberry) in bloom. It is also sometimes called Bristly Dewberry. It differs from the other two species of Dewberry (R. flagellaris and R. […]
Liparis liliifolia – Purple Twayblade Part 2
25 May 2019
Today, Dave Anderson and I re-discovered the location of a patch of Liparis liliifolia in bloom that Dave initially spotted last year on the North Tract after the blooming season. This is a new record for this species on the Refuge. It is considered to be a Maryland S2 threatened species. Next week, we will […]
Which species of Oxalis is this?
18 May 2019
Which species of Oxalis is this? I suspect it could be Oxalic colorea? Maybe. If not what other species could this be? We have measured the petals to be at least 7 mm, but never more than 10 mm. It was first found on the Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland in April 2017. These images were […]
VIola striata – Striped White Violet
Viola striata is native to Eastern North America and is mostly (not always) found away from the Coastal Plain. On the Refuge, it is found in the floodplain/bottomland woods. It is a caulescent violet meaning that the flowers are found on nodes (or leaf axils) along the above-ground stem and not directly from the crown […]
Viola sororia – Common Blue Violet
Viola sororia also known as Common Blue Violet is an acaulescent violet found in Eastern North America. It is commonly found on the Refuge in hydric habitats like bottomland woods and roadside seepages. It will invade lawns and gardens., and is sometimes considered to be weedy. There are several different flower […]
