Photos from a walk in Appalachia’s late summer woods. The flowers of spring have now borne their late summer fruit, fungi rule the forest floor, and the intoxicating perfume of dying ferns fills the air.
From top: the incandescent red berries of partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), which illuminate the forest understory wherever its creeping foliage grows; a gorgeous Pholiota cluster, possibly golden pholiota (Pholiota aurivella); the ripening, spotted berries of false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum), which will turn bright red by October; the luminous orange-red berries of yellow mandarin (Prosartes lanuginosa), also known as yellow fairybells; the deep purple-blue fruit of Indian cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana); common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum), just now fruiting in the local woods; white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), a deadly beauty infamous for diary poisonings in the 1800′s; and bluestem goldenrod (Solidago caesia), also known as wreath goldenrod, an elegant, shade-tolerant perennial unusual among goldenrods in that its flowers grow from the leaf axils rather than from long panicles at the ends of the stems.
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New species I’m getting this year!
Antennaria rosea (Rosy pussytoes)
Arisaema dracontium (Green dragon)
Asplenium scolopendrium (Hart’s tongue)
Calycanthus floridus (Sweetshrub)
Carex aurea (Golden sedge)
Claytonia virginica (Fairy spuds)
Echinacea pallida (Pale purple coneflower)
Equisetum hyemale (Scouring rush)
Iris setosa (Bristle-pointed iris)
Linnaea borealis (Twinflower)
Lonicera canadensis (Canadian fly honeysuckle)
Lonicera involucrata (Twinberry honeysuckle)
Osmunda claytoniana (Interrupted fern)
Passiflora incarnata (Maypop)
Pediomeleum esculentum/Psoralea esculenta (Breadroot)
Polystichum munitum (Western sword fern)
Triglochin maritma (Seaside arrowgrass)
Vaccinium macrocarpon (Large cranberry)
Viburnum acerifolium (Maple-leaved viburnum)
Viola pedata var. bicolor (Crowfoot violet)
Species I’m trying again this year after failed past attempt(s)!
Antennaria neglecta (Field pussytoes) Was planted in late summer and I was kept from watering it adequately.
Argentina anserina (Silverweed) No idea why they didn’t survive where I put them, but try, try again, elsewhere this time.
Artemisia frigida (Fringed sagebrush) First time ended up being white sage brush instead; second time plug was on its last legs on arrival, died soon after.
Chamaenerion angustifolium (Fireweed) Going to try this in yet another spot.
Dennstaedtia punctiloba (Hay-scented fern) Supposed to be aggressive! Mine was not. Maybe the one I get this year.
Dioscorea villosa (Wild yam) Planted the tuber but it never came up.
Glycyrrhiza lepidota (Wild licorice) Squirrels...Dug it up and broke the stem.
Lupinus polyphyllus (Big-leaf lupine) Leafed out nicely for its first and second year and then just didn’t come up again after its second winter.
Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon’s seal) Squirrels! Dug it up and broke the stem.
Pteridium aquilinum latiusculum (Western bracken fern) I put it in a dry shady spot, as recommended, and it died.
Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan) SQUIRRELS!!! Dug it up and while I was visiting home and it dried out. Couldn’t revive it.
Silene acaulis (Moss campion) Sunny, wet, amongst rocks. Check, check, check, but they keep dying on me.
Sisyrinchium montanum (Blue-eyed grass) Two places tried, two place died. I shall try a third place this year.
Viola pubescens (Downy yellow violet) FUCKING. SQUIRRELS. Dug it up while I was at work and left it to scorch and dry out in the sun. Couldn’t revive it.
Species I’m getting again because I’m fairly sure mine didn’t make it
Apocynum cannabinum (Hemp dogbane) It might not have gotten enough sunlight thanks to the white mulberry that grew over. I’ll try it in a different area.
Sagittaria latifolia (Duck potato) It may come up after all but I don’t want to take the chance of planting too late if it doesn’t.
Sparganium americanum (American bur-reed) Not sure why, but we’ll try again this year. And I may yet be surprised.
Symplocarpus foetidus (Skunk cabbage) It’s possible it’s just young and takes longer to come up than it would if it were more mature, but I don’t want to take chances since there’s only one place I can get them at.
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20230613 Mesa Falls area Idaho
WESTERN FALSE SOLOMON"S SEAL Maianthemum racemosum
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How convenient of nature to arrange this teaching display! We were talking about this false Solomon’s seal, and someone asked the leader what the ‘real’ one looks like for comparison, and there it was, right next to the other, and also in bloom!
In the above pictures, this is Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) on the right, and false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum) on the left. Foliage above, flowers below. It’s easy to tell them apart when they’re blooming; I’m studying them now to ingrain in my mind the differences when they have only leaves.
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