Today, I forayed on the South Tract and spotted a bunch of Bald Cypress trees thriving in a swampy area next to Reddington Lake. Bald Cypress is not native this far north, but can do…
Several vines of wild yam (Discorea villosa) L. were spotted in full bloom along the Knowles 1 Pond on the Central Tract. Wild Yam is common in North America ranging from Ontario on the North,…
On the way home from work today, I took a bunch of pictures of two established colonies of Aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush Buckeye) near our home. One of them was in the middle of someone's lawn and…
Today in front of the old house in which the Refuge superintendent used to live, I spotted a pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis). The pecan is native to Mexico and southeastern USA, but not Maryland. This…
[caption id="attachment_4424" align="alignleft" width="150"] Spike with pistillate (female) flowers. (Click on thumbnail for larger view)[/caption] Today, I found an interesting exotic on the Central Tract. It is called Temple Grass and the scientific name is…
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Today I spotted several patches of Mile-a-Minute (Persicaria perfoliata) which has sustained some apparent severe insect damage in the "Savanna" restoration area. I understand that weevils have been released on the refuge. I wonder if…
[caption id="attachment_4269" align="alignleft" width="300"] close-up of seed pod[/caption] Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are important to the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) because its larva feeds exclusively on it. The recent decline of the Monarch butterfly population has…
ABOVE PHOTO: A view of Schafer Lake with water lilies (Click on the thumbnails below for full views.) The objective today was to find the Sundew that had been reported as occurring on the Schafer…
(Photo above - the twelve different types of mushrooms collected today) Click on the thumbnails below for full views.) [caption id="attachment_4162" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mushroom 1 - Bolete?[/caption] After all the rain we have received this…
Rain was the theme of the day at the Refuge today. I drove around a bit to see what was going on, and came across another turtle trying to cross the road. This time it…
(Click on the thumbnails below for full views.) [caption id="attachment_4048" align="alignleft" width="300"] General view of Bog[/caption] Spent about 3.5 hours on the refuge today. My main task was to locate the boggy area just north…
We are in print - The Friends of Patuxent Newsletter, Summer 2015, Page 3. Check it out. (Click on picture for full view.)
Today, I spotted some Indian cucumber (Medeola virginiana L.) at Chestnut Oak Bog growing on a sphagnum moss hummock. One of the plants (pictured here) was blooming and was setting seed. This interesting looking member…
Today when foraying around the Chestnut Oak Bog AKA Welchs Bog I checked out the Chestnut Oak - Mountain Laurel Forest (CEGL006299) plant community that surrounds a good part of the bog. This plant community…
This little weedy plant keys out to Lythrum hyssopifolia L. (Hyssop Loosestrife). It was found on the South Tract on Telegraph Road near the old Beltsville Airport in a wet area next to the…
[caption id="attachment_3986" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mound - 1 June 2013[/caption] The Allegheny mound ant (Formica exsectoides Forel) is a field ant that found on the refuge. It ranges along the Atlantic Coast of North America…
This male Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina (L.) Bell ssp. carolina) was trying to get across the hot pavement, but he was running around in circles. It was hard taking these pictures, it was like…
(Photo above: new planking on the bridge) [caption id="attachment_3916" align="alignleft" width="200"] Plaque on the bridge[/caption] A bridge has existed at this location since the early 1800's. The current structure was built in 1907…
This meadow on the Central Tract is located along Beech Forest Drive near where the powerlines cross MD 197 and as far as I can determine is the largest field of Common Milkweed (Asclepias…