Catskills 3

Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum)



Balsam fir (Abies balsamea)



Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)



Hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium) a very lovely and very common shrub in these parts



Marsh violet (Viola cucullata)


MAY 30, 2005
SLIDE MOUNTAIN

TREES
Balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
Moosewood (Acer pensylvanicum)
Red maple (A. rubrum)
Sugar maple (A. saccharum)
Mountain maple (A. spicatum)
Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Mountain paper birch (Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia)
Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Red spruce (Picea rubens)
White pine (Pinus strobus)
Pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica var. pensylvanica)
Choke cherry (P. virginiana)
Black cherry (P. serotina)
Red oak (Quercus rubra)
Mountain ash (Sorbus americanus)
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

SHRUBS
Large leaf holly (Ilex montana)
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens)
Skunk currant (Ribes glandulosum)
Appalachian gooseberry (Ribes rotundifolium)
Northern blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis)
Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa)
Early lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides)

FORBS
Mountain aster (Aster acuminatus) (syn. Oclemena acuminata)
Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
American golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium americanum)
Spring beauty (Claytonia caroliniana)
Bluebead (Clintonia borealis)
Threeleaf goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
Trout lily (Erythronium americanum)
Largeleaf avens (Geum macrophyllum var. macrophyllum)
Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadensis)
Whorled wood aster (Oclemena acuminata) – Aster
Common wood sorrel (Oxalis montana)
Large-leaved goldenrod (Solidago macrophylla)
Claspleaf twistedstalk (Streptopus amplexifolius var. amplexifolius)
Twisted-stalk (S. roseus)
Starflower (Trientalis borealis)
Wake robin (Trillium erectum)
Painted trillium (T. undulatum)
Wild oats (Uvularia sessilifolia)
Sweet white violet (Viola blanda)

FERNS & ALLIES
Intermediate fern (Dryopteris intermedia) Evergreen fronds old & newly emerging
Shining clubmoss (Huperzia lucidula)
Running clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum)
Ground pine (Lycopodium obscurum)

GRAMINIODS
Northern long sedge (Carex folliculata)
Greater bladder sedge (Carex intumescens)
Common hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa)
Small-flowered woodrush (Luzula parviflora)

Catskills 2

The most massive beaver dam ever! Beavers are...(wait for it)...extirpated (gone, dead, locally extinct) in NYC.

Today we walked out to a bog that had been "lost" for over 100 years. Since this site has a number of rare species, I will limit site location to "Ulster County".

The walk out there was enchanting - an abundance of Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis), young and old co-mingling - these were, amazingly, free of the hemlock woolly adelgid, (Adelges tsugae), the trees in our neck of the woods are usually older (i.e, no regeneration) and dying (i.e., infested with aphids). The hemlocks cast a deep, dark shade. A thick layer of sphagnum moss carpeted the forest floor, punctuated by drifts of ferns and common wood sorrel (Oxalis montana). I half expected to see leprachauns darting between tree trunks. This wood sorrel is not the same plant as the ubiquitous sidewalk weed we have here. If only O. montana were common in the five boroughs, but that's what you get for being sans mountains.

Long beechfern (Phegopteris connectilis), with wood sorrel & sphagnum moss peaking out from underneath. More plants native to New York State that are absent in the five boroughs. sniff.

The bog itself was amazing, with more heath shrubs than you could shake a stick at. There were blueberries and cranberries (Vaccinium spp.) and laurels (Rhododendron spp.) and winterberries (Ilex verticillata). I was in heaven. I love the heaths! (Maybe because it reminds me of the romantic moors in Scotland...)

Another native heath shrub, bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia). I wish this were in the city.

Another highlight was tussock cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum). This bog is the plant's only appearance in Ulster County.

Despite it's common name, tussock cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum) is actually a sedge. Ah, botanical linguistics.

One of the saddest sights was the discovery of plastic pots strewn around the bog. This was an indication that people steal plants from this place to sell on the cheap. This is especially true for plants that are popular/unusual and slow growing, such as trilliums, orchids, heath shrubs, pitcher plants, and sundews. Once these plants are taken from there ecological context, their chances of survival are slim. Your backyard in Brooklyn sure as hell ain't a bog. Plant poaching is far too prevalent. Be mindful of plants offered for cheap, potted in soils that look "natural" (as opposed to a greenhouse mixture).


False hellebore (Veratrum viride). This beautiful native forb is extirpated (locally extinct) in NYC. That's a sad thing.

The day ended with a scramble to see the Adoxa before sundown. This tiny plant is typical of circumboreal regions. This population is a disjunct, with other populations found in the western U.S. Muskroot (Adoxa moschatellina) is rare in NY. We found the strikingly drab forb along a shale road cut. It was neat to see the muskroot, but what really caught my eye was the purple clematis (Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis). Look below, can you blame me?


Purple clematis (Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis)


Plant List - These are just the species I jotted down...

5/29
WALK TO BOG

TREES
Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Red spruce (Picea rubens)
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

SHRUBS
Creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula)
Eastern teaberry (G. procumbens)
Bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia)
Large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
Small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)

FORBS
Threeleaf goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
Early coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida)
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
Common wood sorrel (Oxalis montana)
Northern pitcher-plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Heartleaf foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia var. cordifolia)
Purple trillium (Trillium erectum)
False hellebore (Veratrum viride)

GRAMINOIDS
Tussock cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum)

FERNS
Long beechfern (Phegopteris connectilis)
Eastern marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris)

Sphagnum sp.

MESIC FOREST

FORBS
Red baneberry (Actaea rubra)
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Ramps (Allium tricoccum)
Crinkleroot (Cardamine diphylla)
Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Horsebalm (Collinsonia canadensis)
Squirrelcorn (Dicentra canadensis)
Trout lily (Erythronium americanum)
Fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)
Twisted-stalk (Streptopus roseus)
Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Purple trillium (Trillium erectum)
Painted trillium (T. undulatum)
False hellebore (Veratrum viride)
Canada violet (Viola canadensis)
Marsh violet (V. cucullata)
Yellow forest violet (V. pubescens)
White violet (V. renifolia)
Roundleaf yellow violet (V. rotundifolia)
Common blue violet (V. sororia)

FERNS
Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)


SHALE SLOPES

SHRUBS
American black currant (Ribes americanum)
Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa)

FORBS
Red baneberry (Actaea rubra)
Muskroot (Adoxa moschatellina)
Pussytoes (Antennaria canadensis)
Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Early saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis var. virginiensis)

FERNS
Western oakfern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)

VINES
Purple clematis (Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis)

Catskills 1


A famous vista, painted by Thomas Cole, one of the founders of the Hudson River School of landscape painting.

It seems unbelievable that I have lived all but 14 months of my life in NJ/NY/PA (excluding vacations to exotic locales) and I had never been to the Catskills. To remedy this, I decided to go on the Botanical Society of America's northeast chapter meeting (joint meeting with Torrey & Philly Bot Soc) in Ashokan somewhere in the mountains.

On our first field day, we spent the morning in the water, canoing on North-South Pond, the purpose of which was to see bog mats, but we stopped to look at everything.


Pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) leaf on a Sphagnum bog mat in North-South Pond. Note the hairs on the leaf, which lead the insect into the bowels of the leaf. There it is trapped, and eventually dissolved and thus "eaten" by the plant. This adaptation is very common in plants growing in low nutrient environments, like bogs. This plant is native to NYC & environs.


Large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) with last year's fruits on bog mat. Its leaves are long and oval, arranged on the arching stem of the diminuitive trailing shrub (center). Interspersed are some round-leaved sundew leaves (Drosera rotundifolia). Both of these are native plants.

After a wobbly (and wet) start, we managed to climb atop a stable portion of the largest bog mat. What fun to watch the unstable "ground" beneath you undulate with every step. The anchors of these systems appear to be the shrub, leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata var. angustifolia). At the same time, it's a little nerve-wracking, especially when your boots are only calf high.

Next up, climbing the escarpment trail. This was just as well, since I was itching to get out of the canoe. Being so limited makes it hard to botanize!

Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) are common along trails and mowed edges. A cute little native plant.

One of the most interesting observations was the elevated pine barrens - something I associated with coastal plains, but clearly, that was not the case here.

Pitch pine (Pinus rigida) and lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) dominate the landscape 3,500 feet above sea level.

One of the most marvelous things was the endless array of native plants. More species and more individuals in an endless, unbroken progression. It was breathtaking to think that this was even possible. It made me sad to think how much we have lost in New York City.


My new favorite tree, striped maple or moosewood (Acer pensylvanica) in flower. Sadly, this plant does not occur in NYC, but is native to other regions of the state.

Plants I jotted down (this is not a complete list)
Plant list 5/28
North/South Lake floating bogs

TREES
Gray birch (Betula populifolia)
Red spruce (Picea rubens) (very unusual, usually upland species)

SHRUBS
Allegheny serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis)
Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata var. angustifolia)
Mountain holly (Nemopanthus mucronata)
Bristly dewberry (Rubus hispidus)
White meadowsweet (Spiraea alba var. latifolia)
Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)
Large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) used for eating
Small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)
Withe-rod (Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides)

FORBS
Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana var. caroliniana)
Larger blueflag (Iris versicolor)
Northern pitcher-plant (Sarracenia purpurea)
Sweet white violet (Viola blanda)
Horned pondweed (Zannichellia palustris)

GRAMINOIDS
Blue joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis)
Northwest Territory sedge (Carex utriculata)
Threeway sedge (Dulichium arundinaceum)
Common rush (Juncus effusus)

BRYOPHYTES
Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.)

OTHER (LICHEN)
British soldiers – Cladonia sp.



Escarpment walk

TREES
Moosewood (Acer pensylvanicum)
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
Yellow birch (Betula allegheniensis)
White ash (Fraxinus americana)
Red pine (Pinus resinosa)
Pitch pine (P. rigida)
White pine (Pinus strobus)
Pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica var. pensylvanica)
American basswood (Tilia americana)
Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

SHRUBS
Running serviceberry (Amelanchier stolonifera) – tentative ID
Large leaf holly (Ilex montana)
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
Fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens)
Early azalea (Rhododendron prinophyllum)
Prickly gooseberry (Ribes cynosbati)
Appalachian gooseberry (Ribes rotundifolium)
Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
Flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus)
Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa)
Early lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)

FORBS
Lyre-leaved rock cress (Arabis lyrata)
Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
Mountain aster (Aster acuminatus)(Oclemena acuminata)
Pink ladyslipper (Cypripedium acaule)
Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)
Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadensis)
Indian cukecumber root (Medeola virginiana)
Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora)
Hairy Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum pubescens)
Early saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis var. virginiensis)
Heartleaf foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia var. cordifolia)
Starflower (Trientalis borealis)
Wake robin (Trillium erectum)
Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum)
Bird’s-eye speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys) *
Arrow-leaf violet (Viola sagittata)

FERNS
Bulblet bladderfern (Cystopteris bulbifera)
Rusty cliff fern (Woodsia ilvensis)
Rock polypody (Polypodium virginianum)
Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

Creationism

Creationism: God's gift to the ignorant
As the religious right tries to ban the teaching of evolution in Kansas, Richard Dawkins speaks up for scientific logic - from the May 21 edition of The Times.

One word: bravo.

Blunt Cliff Fern in Harlem


Blunt cliff fern (Woodsia obtusa) festooning the Metro North train trestle in Manhattan. This fern is native and uncommon in NYC.
The ferns are back! Blunt cliff fern (Woodsia obtusa) is growing quickly and by August should be nicely carpeting the sides of the Metro North train trestle that runs along Park Avenue in Spanish Harlem. This fern first came to my attention when I started my job 4 years ago. I walked under the trestle on my walk from the 103 Street 6 train to my office, all the while wondering what species they were but never stopping to look...until finally I did. Woodsia obtusa is not a common plant in NYC. Yet here they were, overwhelming the walls along Park Avenue.

Finally, the following year I did a floristic survey and found that within the mortar of this structure a unique plant community exists, including four fern species that are rare in the City.

Brief history - the trestle extends from 110 to 101 Streets. This portion is constructed of stone and was built in 1870. The mortar was created out of the rock, soil, timbers and various mining debris from creation of the rail tunnel under Park Avenue. Suitable fern habitat was created as these materials weathered and seeps were formed.


Close up of Woodsia obtusa

Surveys found 43 plant species. Whether native or exotic, the majority of the other plants present in the plots were weedy species more commonly found in marginal areas like vacant lots and roadsides. Five ferns were found, including sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), a common wetland species, able to survive do to water pooling in the masonry. The other four are rare in NYC: ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), walking fern (A. rhizophyllum), purple cliff-brake (Pellaea atropurpurea) and blunt cliff fern (Woodsia obtusa), are typical of cliff habitats. At approximately 30 feet tall, this trestle acts as a Manhattan cliff.

If one looks carefull around the perimeter wall of Central Park, you will find both blunt cliff fern and ebony spleenwort.


Clay Pit State Park

Clay Pit Pond in Staten Island

Had a most amazing day in Clay Pit State Park today - what a beautiful place. Very similar to NJ Pinelands (Barrens) except that we don't have the pitch pine (which is no small matter). There are individuals here and there, but actually pitch pine (Pinus rigida) is native and rare in NYC.

Ostensibly the trip was all about seeing swamp pink (Helonias bullata) - a Federally endangered plant, in flower. {N.B. I only throw out the location because I know these were PLANTED, which is fine since the species is historically known from this part of Staten Island. I would NEVER EVER reveal a naturally-occurring population - not for all the tea in China, not for all North Carolina.} The only native occurrence of Helonias bullata in New York was known from Kreischerville, Staten Island between 1882 and 1892 in a red maple-sweetgum swamp. In Arthur Hollick's field notes at the Staten Island Museum he noted that he and N. L. Britton did a “wild dance of joy” when they first encountered the plants in May 1882. See what the dancing was all about.

Sadly, dancing did not prevail the day I was out. We found the plants, but they are doing well; and so were not in flower (they only bloom when stressed). Oh well.


My disappointing view of swamp pink (Helonias bullata) - basal rosettes

Here is a list of some of the things we did see - all new for my records.

KEY: * = exotic, ! = invasive, + = native & rare in NYC, no mark = native & common

TREES
Quercus alba - white oak
Q. bicolor - swamp white oak
Q. palustris - pin oak
Q. velutina - black oak
Quercus x bushii - a hybrid between Q. marilandica (blackjack oak) & Q. velutina

SHRUBS
Amelanchier canadensis - Juneberry
Chamaedaphne calyculata - leatherleaf +
Chimaphila maculata - spotted wintergreen
Comptonia peregrina - sweet fern +
Eleagnus angustifolia * - Russian olive
E. umbellata *! - autumn olive
Eubotrys racemosa - fetterbush
Lyonia ligustrina - maleberry +
Rubus phoenicolasius - wineberry *!
Salix discolor - pussy willow
Spiraea tomentosa - hardhack +
Vaccinium corymbosum - highbush blueberry

FORBS
Comandra umbellata bastard toad flax + (which might be the best common name for a plant ever)
Lepidium campestre * field pepper
Lespedeza capitata - round-headed bush clover
Linaria canadensis (Nuttallanthus canadensis) - blue toadflax
Symplocarpus foetidus - skunk cabbage
Viola macloskeyi ssp. pallens - smooth white violet


Walk through the Greenbelt

Downy carrionflower (Smilax pulverulenta) in bud. This vine is a New York State rare plant.

Meeting in SI Greenbelt this morning, walking along one of the trails, the first thing I see is the above downy carrionflower (Smilax pulverulenta), a NYS-rare vine. This is in the same genus as greenbrier & catbrier (S. rotundifolia, S. glauca), which are very common in the city, largely because they withstand disturbance so well. Downy carrionflower is herbaceous & perennial, so the whole above-ground portion of the plant dies back every winter. Here, it is bursting to bloom; looking a lot like pants' zippers after the wearer has enjoyed a particularly filling meal.

My concern was that the 3 plants I found were located along the trail, and one had already been stepped on. Imagine how resilient you would be sans lignin; not very. Hopefully my felled wood barriers will protect them another day.


Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium) in flower. A common NYC native shrub.

Orchids and Garbage


Whorled pogonia (Isotria verticillata), one of NYC's few remaining native orchid species.

Ups and downs, highs and lows, thus are my moods when I am out in the field - either ecstatic or crestfallen. Today, I was both. Somewhere in Staten Island (you'll never get locations out of me), I saw orchids, NYS-rare plants, and lots of degredation caused by humans.

First, the good stuff. In a 40' x 40' area, saw about 500 stems of whorled pogonia (Isotria verticillata), half of which were in flower. This orchid is a congener (same genus) as the Federally-endangered small whorled pogonia (I. medeoloides). These orchids were found in a dry, heath dominated forest they love so, with bracken fern, red/black/white oaks, red maple, sweet gum, sweet pepperbush, blueberries, pinkster azalea, black cherry, bitternut, and sassafras.


One of the most pilfered plants in the wild because it's arguably our most beautiful native orchid, pink ladyslipper (Cypripedium acaule).

Another wonderful site - pink ladyslipper (Cypripedium acaule) in bloom. Found some teasers early on - just leaves. The one in the photo was hiding behind a fallen log. In all we found 12 ladyslippers, but only 3 were in flower. Years ago, this area was called "Orchid Hill". I think the locals got wind of it and have been stealing orchids from the wild. Little do they know, that once these flowers are taken out of their natural habitat, they die. They cannot survive without filimentous fungi called microrrhizae, with which they have a mutualistic relationship. The fungi, extending into the orchid and the surrounding substrate, bring nutrients and water to the plant, and are critical in every phase of the plant's life. Orchid seeds are extremely small. As such, they have no resources to grow on their own. Without these fungi, the plants would never germinate.


A common compatriot of these orchids, pinkster azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides), a native shrub.
Other plant finds: whorled indian cukecumber (Medeola virginiana), deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), interrupted fern (Osmunda claytonii), Virginia chain fern (Woodwardia virginica). Another neat find was sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana). This NYS-rare tree is found in wet areas, SI is the northern part of its range. Now, such plants, being rare, should be given some TLC. That was decidedly not the case in this park, as you can see in the photo below. (Warning, this is where the story starts to take a turn for the worse).

Here, the tree has clearly been vandalized, it has graffiti and a crown (base) damaged by fire. This is not a happy tree. Unhappy trees don't live very long, and so one less sweetbay in New York State.

Other areas of the forest are not regenerating due to disturbance. High volume foot traffic and mountainbike/ATV use contribute to the lack of shrubs or wildflowers in the photo below. And obviously, couches are not part of a forest ecosystem.



This last one is the pièce de résistance. With this kind of stewardship, the orchids et al. are not long for this world.



An Denegrating Homage

...to the insects, not the humans. Cornell University just reported that two of its former entomologists recently had the job of naming 65 new species of slime-mold beetles. Three are new to science & so were named...for members of the U.S. administration. These lucky bugs are in the genus Agathidium - they are A. bushi Miller and Wheeler, A. cheneyi Miller and Wheeler and A. rumsfeldi Miller and Wheeler.

Growing Up Denatured

Too much inside, not enough outside results in folks who can't tell the difference between maples and oaks and why this distinction matters. Growing Up Denatured (New York Times)

So many people ask me questions about their daffodils or tulips, they have absolutely no concept of what a botanist is or where they can see a "wild" plant. Open your eyes! They are all around. Sadly, this notion is expounded upon in the media (the above article is about a new book). For example, an op-art piece that ran in the Times in October touted chicory as "NYC's plant", for very merky reasons (because "we do our worst, it gives us its best" - which is what, tastier coffee?) See my rebuttal here in pdf format.

And while this ecological illiteracy grows, we continue to lose our native orchids, lilies and magnolias.

Mother's Day Flowers


flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), a native tree of our forest understories

Walked through Prospect Park on my way to the Brooklyn Museum with my family. Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) & flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) were in bloom. What says "Thanks, Mom" more than native flowers?



Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Tree Graffiti in Conference House Park


To the tagger, this was totally unnecessary.


Rare Oak Woods, Staten Island


Early lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum) in flower. The flowers are always described as "white", but as you can see, they are so much more. A common NYC native shrub in dry, sandy soils.


Today I went to Conference House Park, to look for a site to plant rescued plants from Kreischerville up the road. These "rescued" plants are listed as rare in New York State - blunt spikerush (Eleocharis ovata) (S1) & fringed boneset (Eupatorium hyssopifolium var. laciniatum) (S2), which is the reason why we went to so much trouble to dig some up - otherwise they'd be sitting under the Home Depot, Target, Bed Bath Beyond, Chilis & Christmas tree store that was put there in its place. God knows we need more strip malls, especially sharing a very long border with a state nature preserve (Clay Pit).

Anyway, on my way to Conference House Park, I stopped by an area we refer to as "Rare Oak Woods" because it houses, wait for it, rare oaks. Onsite there are willow oaks (Quercus phellos), an S1, that are hybridizing with more common oaks (black, red). These hybrids can be prodigious producers of acorns, and subsequent generations often results in pure willow oak offspring. A super rare oak is the hybrid Q. x rudkinii, a cross between willow oak and blackjack oak (Q. marilandica), another rarity. Mostly these plants are rare in NY because they are at the northern part of their range. This also means that without all the hybridization, it would be difficult for them to reproduce. Ah, oaks. For more on NYS rare plants

Rare Oak Woods has very sandy, glacial outwash soils, as does this whole area of southern SI. This makes for really neat plant communities, with lots of heath shrubs. I love the heaths. Most people think of Heathcliff & Catherine ala Charlotte Bronte (writing out "Heathcliff" made me think of that Michael Penn song, "No Myth". I really like that song. Whatever happened to him anyway?); but the northeast has lots of native woody plants in this family (Ericaceae).


Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) in flower, with a Lepidopteran visitor. Another common native shrub.

Yet another interesting plant was pawpaw (Asimina triloba), another rarity (S2). This tree isn't actually native to NYC, it naturally occurs in western New York State, but there is a colony in Staten Island, planted by a former homeowner in the 1800s with seed from Indiana. The grove produces flowers (see below) and fruits. The latter are edible, reputed to resemble bananas both in taste and aspect. Haven't tried any yet, but hopefully this summer I will remember to make a trip down there.


Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) in flower, native & rare in New York State.

Old growth & salt marshes in Pelham

I don't know what it is about Pelham Bay Park, but lately I feel like I live there. Not that I am complaining. Anyway, had a field meeting out there and went to part of the park that I had never been to before. It was like the enchanted place Olivia Newton John sang about in "Xanadu". But more on that later.

Mockernut (Carya tomentosa), a NYC native tree, leaves emerging with ants.

First we walked through some old growth forest on Hunter Island. I know, everyone tells you there is no old growth forest in New York City. Well honey, you can now tell your friends they are all washed up. Here is the proof...

tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipfera) trunk
See how the bark on the tulip tree is at the base, how it's broken up? That is a sign of old growth in trees. "Old growth" is defined as >150 years, although I think tulip trees may reach the fissured bark stage earlier, around 125 years or so. But you get the point - OLD.


dwarf serviceberry in flower - native and uncommon in NYC - very cool!
So back to Xanadu. We walked out over the salt marsh to one of the many outlying islands, and it was breathtaking (except for the scary vodoo doll found by Erik Kiviat). Here was a sandy soil community of juneberries, sassafras, heath shrubs, panicled hawkweed and gall-of-the-earth. This was the first time I had seen dwarf serviceberry (Amelanchier spicata), found in only 3 parks in the city. I was reveling in it - a pristine, untouched chunk of nature. Ha! the other side of the island had this...

I couldn't believe it! After I stopped ranting, I thought, well, at least these homeless folks have a little hobby. Later I found out that they are not homeless, but local old Italian guys who think the park is their private property. Warning to the old men, I am watching you.