Indian Cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana)
Northeast Naturalist
by The Northeast Naturalist
6M ago
  Indian Cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana), in the Lily family, is an eastern species, growing primarily up through the Appalachians, the mountains of New York and New England, and north into Canada.  This one was found at Cranberry Lake, in the northern NY Adirondacks, on October 8th (from my archives). It's a forest wildflower with edible rhizomes that resemble the taste and odor of cucumbers. The Iroquois also used it medicinally. Sometimes mice eat the seeds and berries.  [Canon digital Rebel, EF 18-200mm zoom at 50mm, 1/125 sec., f/11, ISO 200, electronic flash, Center-w ..read more
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Virginia-creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Northeast Naturalist
by The Northeast Naturalist
6M ago
 Virginia-creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), a.k.a. woodbine, can turn bright red in late summer and early fall. It's a climbing or sprawling woody vine sometimes found in association with Poison Ivy. The distinguishing factor is the number of leaflets. Creeper normally has five, while Poison Ivy has three. ("Leaves of three, leave it be; Leaves of five, let it thrive.") Creeper's scientific name is Greek meaning "five-leaved virgin-ivy." The alternate name, woodbine, can also refer to several honeysuckles, other creepers, and Virginia clematis. The creeper's dark-blue berries are s ..read more
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Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Northeast Naturalist
by The Northeast Naturalist
6M ago
Bright-red foliage makes the sumac an October standout. The long, feather-compound leaves have 11 or more toothed leaflets and resemble walnut leaves. The sumacs in my backyard have 13 pairs of opposite leaflets plus one at the tip. Sometimes you can find green, yellow, orange and red leaves all on the same small tree. The common species is the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), named for its resemblance to fuzzy deer antlers before the velvet shreds. As the leaves fall away, the dense spikes of bright red fruits on female trees add a much needed dab of color to an increasingly drab New York lan ..read more
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Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
Northeast Naturalist
by The Northeast Naturalist
6M ago
Red Maple (Acer rubrum), a.k.a. one of two Swamp Maples or soft maples, is probably the most abundant native tree in the eastern U.S. The species can adapt to a wide range of site conditions from bottomland swamp forests to upland mountain slopes. It does well in young forests where it can get some sun, but shade-tolerant species crowd it out of mature and old-growth forests. This particular Red Maple was growing beside the Moss Lake loop trail between Old Forge and Inlet in New York's Adirondack Mountains. Trail access is from Big Moose Rd. NW of Eagle Bay. (Sept. 25th ..read more
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Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
Northeast Naturalist
by The Northeast Naturalist
6M ago
Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), a.k.a. Swamp Birch, is native to northeastern North America and it's the largest North American species of birch. Its scientific name means "Birch of the Alleghenies," referring to the dissected plateau along the west side of the Appalachian's Ridge-and-Valley province. It can reach an age of 300+ years in Adirondack old-growth forests while one in Allegany County, NY, measured 439 years old in growth rings.  The bark on young trees is smooth and some shade of brass, bronze or light copper with horizontal lenticels which are pores for exchange of ga ..read more
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Pileated Woodpecker
Northeast Naturalist
by
2y ago
The Pileated Woodpecker -- © Dave Spier It’s our largest woodpecker and almost as long as a crow. A white patch on top of each black wing and white underwing linings make it a flashy flier. The body and tail are also black. If you can see the red crest, you know it’s a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus, which translates to "crested tree-cleaver"). Closer inspection of this shy species, usually requiring binoculars, will reveal a white stripe extending from the top beak almost to the back of the head and then down the neck to the shoulder. The throat is white and there is a small whi ..read more
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"Old Man's Beard"
Northeast Naturalist
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2y ago
Canon XTi with EF 100mm macro lens + macro-twin-flash; exp. 1/125 sec., f/16, at ISO 100 Virgin's Bower © Dave Spier In the world of plants, there's a vine commonly known as "Old Man's Beard." (Well, that would apply to me, too, but I'm otherwise not green.) It's also called Virgin's Bower and botanists know it as Clematis virginiana, a member of the Anemoneae tribe in the Buttercup Family (Ranunculaceae). The descriptive name refers to the fruit clusters that have seeds ending in long filaments. Other folk names include Devil's Darning Needles and Devil's Hair. The genus name, Clem ..read more
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Giant Swallowtail
Northeast Naturalist
by
2y ago
© Dave Spier With a wingspan of roughly five inches (give or take an inch), the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes, syn. Heraclides cresphontes) is one of the largest butterflies in eastern and southern North America. Females are larger than males. This butterfly species ranges from Arizona to the East Coast and from southeastern Canada to Texas and Florida with a population extension into California. In the south the caterpillars are sometimes considered pests in citrus orchards. In the north the larvae eat Prickly-ash (a shrub unrelated to ash trees, although the compound leaves have ..read more
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European Frogbit
Northeast Naturalist
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2y ago
Frogbit © Dave Spier Among its many incursions into southeastern Wayne County, New York, European Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) can be found edging Black Creek as it leaves the Montezuma Marshes west of Savannah, just before passing under Route 31 and flowing on its way to Crusoe Creek. This Eurasian species was introduced into Ottawa, Canada in the 1930's and has since spread around the lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway watersheds. Its spread northeastward has been limited only by water salinity. There is no limit to the south and west, so it has reached Vermont, New York and ..read more
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Canada Thistle
Northeast Naturalist
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2y ago
Beware of tall, attractive wildflowers with prickly leaves growing in fields. Most have beautiful magenta or lavender-colored heads, but the leaves, and sometimes the stems, are edged with numerous, sharp spines to defend against herbivores looking for an easy meal. These are the thistles. They are composites, related to daisies and goldenrods in spite of the obvious differences. Most are biennials, starting as a ground-hugging rosette of prickly leaves the first year, then growing tall and flowering the second.   The Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense), a misnamed alien invasive from Eur ..read more
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