התצפיות של joem50

This replaces observation 3870935 which had no picture.
Monarch Butterfly nectaring on Common Milkweed. A little out of focus but I'm working on improving that. This was one of hundreds of Milkweed plants covering more than an acre on either side of the mowed area which they made for a path. I didn't see any evidence of larval activity on any of the plants, no missing or partial leaves.

Growing in the gravel beside the road on the W side. The trilobed leaves on the lower part of the stem identify this as Brown Eyed Susan. There was an apparent state highway planting which consisted of Black Eyed Susan or something similar. There were a sprinkling of Purple Cone Coneflower which is neither native nor naturalized in MD. Across the road were Giant Sunflowers which again were probably planted. Giant Sunflowers were one of the species that the State Highway Administration was looking for more than ten years ago to plant along roadsides. The Brown Eyed Susan was outside the planted area and there were no plants of it inside the planted area. The flowers on the Brown Eyed Susan were about half the width of the Black Eyed Susan.

Monarch Butterfly nectaring on Common Milkweed. A little out of focus but I'm working on improving that. This was one of hundreds of Milkweed plants covering more than an acre on either side of the mowed area which they made for a path. I didn't see any evidence of larval activity on any of the plants, no missing or partial leaves.

Growing in the ditch on the north side of the road. The flowers had pedicels and the leaves were sessile. Winged Monkey Flower (M. alatus) has flowers which are sessile and leaves which have petioles. This makes the flowers on Common aka Allegheny Monkey Flower show up more because the flowers are farther from the stem while the leaves are closer.

An Orchid found and photographed by my niece Miki on a property owned by my sister which is north and west of Tokyo. I believe the Japanese name is Shunran. I don't know whether I identified it to species or just to the Genus and my sister found the species name. I've never been to the property and I can't remember the name of the prefecture so I'm guessing at the location and giving it a 100 kilometer accuracy range.

The Places section now says this is JP, Tropical Asia, Asia. I agree with Asia and Japan but this is not Tropical. I lived for five years during Junior and Senior High School about an hour's local train ride from Tokyo and about the same in the opposite direction from the small town of Hakone at the edge of Hakone National Park, the site of Mount Fuji. The climate was supposed to be like Washington, DC, but it was more like the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, about Zone 8. The location of this Orchid is further north and further inland where it is at least hilly and possibly in the mountains. Anyone who considers Zones 5-7 to be tropical needs to get to a warmer place. MD which contains areas in Zone 6 and 7 is not Tropical. Even Okinawa, where I spent the first three years of Elementary School, is more than 5 degrees of Latitude south of Tokyo is still several degrees north of the Tropic of Cancer and is therefore Subtropical.

Along the tow path just below Catfish Hole on the side away from the canal within view of the river. This has several fresh,fertile stems. I think I cut the head off of one in the photo. I needed to raise the angle a bit to get it in. This is the commonest of the Horsetails in MD and one of the few that has unbranched Fertile stems and branched Sterile stems, both of which can be seen here. It dies back in the fall and sends new stems up in the spring.

Along the tow path near the upstream start of the Billy Goat Trail, Section A?, on the side away from the canal.
This is one of only two species of Stemmed White Violets in MD. The other, Canada White Violet, prefers cooler areas and isn't known until farther north and west. The distinct Fimbriate Stipules of this one make it easy to identify.

Along the tow path at Wide Water on the side next from the canal. Notice the closed mouth of the flower if it's in good enough focus. This a key characteristic of this species. I refuse to put these into the Family Plantaginaceae. This mistake needs to be corrected by someone.

Along the tow path at Wide Water.
After more than forty years of looking at them, I think I've finally figured out how to tell the smaller Solomon's Seal species apart. Part of the problem was my failure to pay more attention to the drawings in Herbaceous Plants of MD (Brown and Brown, 1984) and in their earlier printing in Flora of WV (Strausbaugh and Core) and part of the problem was their use of the term leaf-like bract for the lowest leaf in Common Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum). The lowest leaf to them on this species and the very similar Downy Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum pubescens - for which you must have to search for the hairs) is the one where the lowest flowers or buds are in the axil.

Along the tow path at Wide Water on the side away from the canal. The second photo show the unripe, round, exindusiate sori typical for this species.
I am calling this Eastern Rock Fern (Polypodium virginianum) but apparently about twenty-five years ago they found that there were two very similar species, one a diploid and one a tetraploid. If anyone knows a sure way to tell Eastern Rock Fern from Appalachian Rock Fern (Polypodium appalachianum), the diploid, let me know. I've already heard about the minor differences in shape and have to try it to see if I can actually tell which is which.

Along the tow path just above Wide Water on the side away from the canal near the boulders which block the view of the turtle pond. Apparently a Lumper has been at work and moved the Waterleaf Family (Hydrophyllaceae) into the Borage Family (Boraginaceae). Somebody needs to hook Boraginaceae to an Order.

Along Berma Road near the stop lock bridge. These are closely related to Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia) but have broader, opposite leaves in addition to the winged stems. I've been watching this patch for well over a decade and have seen it all stages of growth from the first sprouts from the roots in spring to the standing dead stems with seed heads.