The last day at Caddo NG was grand fun as all the days were there. 🙂
We saw the Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma americana) in their webby homes.
And crawling everywhere from grass to trees all week.
A few of the Groundsel (Packera obovata) was already going to seed!
Jeanne found her happy collection spot…
While I took notes for the Trout Lily (Erythronium mesochoreum). On this trip I got to see two Erythronium species!
Then I turned around and found the Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium)!
Moving on towards a shallow ditch the Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) lined the edge.
What a huge specimen!
It was getting late and we were heading across the field.
When this little one caught my eye, a Winter Grapefern (Holubiella lunarioides syn Botrychium lunarioides).
The first Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa) in bloom. All the adult Frosted Elfins were about done for. If you recall we only seen two worn adults. So now all their eggs will soon be making cats!
Yes the other was E. albidum. And no. As far as I could tell the habitats overlapped. Maybe I was missing the subtle differences. Next year I hope to learn how to do DNA on them to further confirm their identities. Many of the morphology features overlap as well in the groups. The only thing I was seeing was the leaves shape, flat or folding. Moreover it took a whole group of them to see the overall pattern not just an individual. Mottling and pods varied and overlapped in what I was calling one or the other. I’m still learning and it is so much fun!
Good going tortoises.
Great that you saw two Erythronium species! Was E. albidum the other one? Did you notice anything specific about their preferred habitats?
Yes the other was E. albidum. And no. As far as I could tell the habitats overlapped. Maybe I was missing the subtle differences. Next year I hope to learn how to do DNA on them to further confirm their identities. Many of the morphology features overlap as well in the groups. The only thing I was seeing was the leaves shape, flat or folding. Moreover it took a whole group of them to see the overall pattern not just an individual. Mottling and pods varied and overlapped in what I was calling one or the other. I’m still learning and it is so much fun!
Thank you for all the great information! Yes, lifelong learning is fun!
That was certainly an eventful day!
Hooray for the intrepid tortoises.
Yahoo!