המועדפים של tcurtis

The legendary Sag Branch Tuliptree. It has the distinction of allegedly being the largest non-coniferous tree (by volume) in North America. The thing is unbelievably massive with a 7’+ thick trunk and is 170’+ tall but the trick is the trunk just doesn’t taper and is 5’ in diameter even 100’ up. There’s thicker and taller tuliptrees out there (not by much) but the combined powers of this tree are records to my knowledge. Regardless, a beautiful specimen.

Thanks to @mjpapay noticing a funky (note: my word not theirs...) Erigeron at this site in the past (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66655862) and making the connection that it could very well possibly be var. provancheri and making me want to investigate further!

After visiting the site and finding 100+ plants growing in boulder crevices and limestone bedrock cracks/ledges, I'm pretty convinced this is indeed var. provancheri. This would make for a considerable range extension of this global rarity and a new state record. Likely to be found along the similar shorelines of nearby Kelleys Island and the Bass Islands, which I plan to survey soon. I believe it should be sought in similar limestone shoreline habitat in Michigan as it stands to reason it would be there, too.

These plants were all quite small, basal leaves/rosettes persistent at/through flowering, the leaves and stems usually pretty glabrate/glabrous (varied plant to plant but some were pretty darn smooth), growing in the specific habitat, and blooming far later than typical philadelphicus would be. They were also staunchly perennials based on the root system and toughness to pull out when collecting a few specimens.

Would love other's opinions who've seen/experienced this plant before.

growing in seasonally moist edges of an old field succession, common in the area, 12 outer phyllaries were longer than the inner phyllaries, they were coarsely ciliate and contorted.

See also: https://illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/ts_sunflower.htm

and
https:// michiganflora.net/genus.aspx?id=Bidens

My friends, this isn't something you see everyday...I think I slipped into flower nirvana when I saw this.

Fasciated Canada lily, over 50 flowers on a single stalk; single plant in weedy moist thicket along railroad.

Is this Ohio's smallest plant? At 0.6 mm, the dark bowling-ball sporophyte in the center of this wee little rosette of leaves is, I would wager, smaller than whatever water-meal (genus Wollfia) that's credited with being our smallest flowering plant. This is a moss, Ephemerum spinulosum, found yesterday, December 7, 2018 at Waterman Agriculture and Natural Resources Laboratory Complex in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.