Today I learned about Stephanomeria occultata, a plant discovered in 2018 in Utah that is only found in one county.

According to the Wikipedia page, it was found in a PARKING LOT using GOOGLE EARTH STREET VIEW

In search of lost fruit: the explorers tracking down ancient trees before they are gone forever

Got a new plant!

Book shelves 💚

The Black Cardinal

Watercolor On Black Paper

2022, 10"x 14"

Variegated Black Cardinal Philodendron

My monstera obliqua and I like to play a game called “Leaf or Runner” where I guess whether the new node is going to be a leaf or a runner.

So far this node is looking like it might give me a leaf. But this fucker likes to get my hopes up and then laugh at me when it continues to run.

This plant might not look like much, but it’s a sensitive species in Washington State! This is Actaea elata, tall bugbane, a toxic species in the Ranunculaceae family. It’s not very showy, and it doesn’t have any ethnobotanical uses, but it’s very important to pollinators, especially syrphid flies (hover flies in the family Syrphidae, the ones that mimic bees and wasps). Because it’s rhizomatous, you’ll often find a big cluster of these instead of seeing just one. It grows near the much more common Actaea rubra, red baneberry, and it can be a little hard to distinguish the two species if they’re not flowering or in fruit (as you can see, A. elata has hard follicles rather than the red or white berries that A. rubra produces). 

I found this group of Actaea elata plants growing very close to a clearcut. Logging is one of the biggest threats this species faces - it can’t survive clearcutting and subsequent replacement of the forest with Douglas fir monoculture. This is significant forest management consideration in Washington State - we don’t want this species to become endangered like it is in British Columbia! 

Aloe 'Wily Coyotee'

It's Tell a Friend Friday!

Please enjoy this photo I took of my very first gnome plant (Hemitomes congestum), a rare species that is likely a mycoheterotroph that parasitizes fungi, and is only found along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to California. Then tell someone you know about my work--you can reblog this post, or send it to someone you think may be interested in my natural history writing, classes, and tours. Here's where I can be found online:

Website - http://www.rebeccalexa.com

Rebecca Lexa, Naturalist Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/rebeccalexanaturalist

Tumblr Profile – http://rebeccathenaturalist.tumblr.com

Twitter Profile – http://www.twitter.com/rebecca_lexa

Instagram Profile – https://www.instagram.com/rebeccathenaturalist/

LinkedIn Profile – http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalexanaturalist

iNaturalist Profile – https://www.inaturalist.org/people/rebeccalexa

Finally, if you like what I’m doing here, you can buy me a “coffee” at http://ko-fi.com/rebeccathenaturalist

Yesterday's finds! A large patch of ghost pipe growing through some trailing pine, both rare plants.

Sorry I just have to rant a bit over Good Omens Season 2. No big Spoilers just a small thing that unecessary upset me. Wasn't it stated in S1 that Crowley collected rare plants and has one of the most extraordinary collections? But in S2Ep4 he only has a couple of plants one of them being a Ficus lyrata and another a Monstera probably deliciosa small form. I haven't been into rare plants for long but those are definetley common. I mean both of them can be found in shops like Ikea.

I'm cracking up. I found one of these guys three times this size online for $190

Alocasia Frydek

(Green Velvet Alocasia)

I can't believe I just found this baby at a local nursery. I screamed when I saw it and she was like oh yeah, you have a good eye. 😂

I'm definitely a fan of all and any alocasia and colocasia plants. They call something in my soul I can't describe. 💚