Quiet Walk Through the Woods

September 11th draws a lot of thoughts and emotions out of just about everyone.  The events of that day eleven years ago have changed and molded all of us in one way or another, even as the catastrophe itself slowly falls farther into the past.  For your blogger, September 11th has always had a distinction all its own since he was born.  I can still remember sitting in my 8th grade history class and watching that day go from just being my birthday to a day the world would never forget.

Eleven years later I find myself fully acclimated to sharing the date with the country's worst act of terrorism and celebrate/mourn the day separately but together.  Since moving down to the Athens area in southeastern Ohio four years ago, I have done my best to spend a couple hours each birth day outside in the realm of the natural world, alone and enveloped in its beauty and calming charm.  A couple hours of myself and what means most to me to be spent reflecting on the past year and the blessings and positive experiences I've had.  A couple hours to be at peace and without a care or worry in the world.  A couple hours devoted to the intricate mosaic of life I'm forever intertwined with.  To go out into the woods on a cool, sunny early fall afternoon and smell the dirt and leaves, glance the brilliant sapphire blue sky through the patchwork canopy is something that gives my heart and soul true peace and healing.  Anyone who has a similar attachment and relationship with the natural world understands where I'm coming from; it's just a feeling and state of mind achieved only by those who take the time and patience to seek it out.  The best part is it's always there waiting for you to return.

My favorite secluded haunt in Zaleski state forest

I decided to spend this year's annual solo hike in one of my favorite areas in the county.  I've spoke of it before when I told the story of the green adder's mouth orchid a couple months ago.  I haven't been to this particular spot in some time and decided to see what old friends I could find in bloom throughout the diverse landscape.

White Wood Aster  ~  Eurybia divaricata

Blooming throughout the lower slopes of the ravine and stream terrace were the white petaled flowers of the white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata).  The fall-blooming asters can be a challenge and pain to identify to species but this common taxa can be readily ID'ed by the zig-zag pattern of the stem and white color of the ray flowers.  Once the inner disc flowers are pollinated they turn from golden yellow to purplish brown as seen above.

Wild Stonecrop  ~  Sedum ternatum

Moving further into the ravine, the stream bed and banks become carpeted with the thick, fleshy leaves of one of Ohio's only native succulents, wild stonecrop (Sedum ternatum).  The flowers bloom in mid to late spring and are long gone come autumn but that doesn't take away from the aesthetic beauty and presence of the plant.  It's quite common in wet, shaded, rocky areas throughout the unglaciated portion of the state and is one of my favorite plants spring through fall.

Beech Drops  ~  Epifagus virginiana

Come late August the east-facing slope's forest floor comes alive with the hardly noticeable but very common beech drops (Epifagus virginiana), a parasitic plant from the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae).  If you haven't guessed already, this plants only host plant is the American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and utilizes the beech's root system for nutrients and sustenance.  The chasmogamous (open) flowers at the top of the stem are largely sterile while the lower pistillate flowers are cleistogamous (closed) and self-pollinating.

Crooked-Stem Aster  ~  Symphyotrichum prenanthoides

Another common aster species of the ravine and lower moist slopes is the accurately named cooked-stem aster (Symphyotrichum prenanthoides).  The pale lavender ray flowers; zig-zagged stem; and long, winged petioled leaves that clasp at the base help to distinguish it.  It's a common species found in just about any wet situation.

Sun fading behind the old, mature trees on the east-facing slope

The afternoon sun began to dip behind the east-facing slope's ridges and cast long shadows across the narrowing ravine.  The old-growth trees thick trunks rise precipitously into the canopy with hardly a limb for 50+ feet.  Sugar maple, tuliptree, basswood, white oak, red oak, wild black cherry, yellow buckeye, and beech make up the canopy species composition, an impressive amount of diversity.

Coral fungus of some kind, Artomyces genus?

While most people seem to associate spring with mushrooms, it's actually the fall when the highest diversity can be seen in the woodlands and forests.  One of the more common species I encounter is this guy pictured above.  Now, I'm no mycologist but I believe this to be a species of coral fungus from the Artomyces  genus.  It always seems to be growing in heavy leaf litter/humus in mixed deciduous forests of varying moisture gradients.

Tall White Rattlesnake-root  ~  Prenanthes altissima

Growing in open areas and along the woodland margins was some of Ohio's most common species of rattlesnake-root, the tall white rattlesnake-root (Prenanthes altisimma).  Of the seven species of Prenanthes  native to Ohio, this species has the smallest flowers and despite the name 'tall' is not among the tallest of taxon.  Look for an in-depth treatment and ID post on the Prenanthes genus soon!

White Turtlehead  ~  Chelone glabra

Even though I've explored and hiked this spot countless times before all throughout the year, I always seem to come across something new each visit.  This time around I was pleased to discover some white turtlehead (Chelone glabra) plants blooming along the stream banks.  I don't think it's hard to picture the resemblance of a turtle's head in the unique inflorescences.  It's presence was a very welcome sight as this species is commonly associated with high-quality wetlands and riparian zones.

Thin-Leaved Sunflower  ~  Helianthus decapetalus

Close to the white turtlehead plants were some fresh specimens of the thin-leaved sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus) still in flower.  Many have frustrating experiences trying to nail down the identity of Ohio's numerous sunflowers but with time, practice, and hands on experience in the field the lines become more clear.  Another common name for this species is the ten-petaled sunflower however in all my wanderings I've never seen a ten-petaled specimen, so I prefer the thin-leaved moniker.  As with the Prenanthes, look for a future post dedicated to some helpful ID characteristics on all of Ohio's native Helianthus species.

Blue Mistflower  ~  Conoclinium coelestinum

A hard-to-miss and frequently seen fall wildflower of southern Ohio's wet fields, roadsides, and thickets is the striking blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum).  Formally a Eupatorium, further scientific study has placed this species in a new genus Conoclinium with a couple other North American taxon.  The frilly countless 'strings' are not petals but actually stamens.

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed pods with milkweed bug larvae

As I neared the road and the end of my slow and enjoyable saunter through the woods, I came across a small field full of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed pods already matured and releasing their seeds to the air.  Upon closer inspection of one plant revealed several large milkweed bug larvae (Oncopeltus fasciatus) presumably making a meal of the pods contents.  It made me think back to my 'larval' days as a young kid carelessly playing with friends and no thought on the future and what it may hold. Those days feel like a lifetime and a half ago and merely a memory in my head.  I've enjoyed my growth into adulthood and the challenges and experiences the road has supplied.  I jumped back into the car and returned to civilization with awaiting friends for an evening of celebration.  I thanked Mother Nature for a day well spent and already looked forward to next year's annual birthday excursion.

Fate and a Tiny Orchid

A few summers ago I headed out on a seemingly routine hike through one of my favorite areas of Zaleski state forest in Athens county.  Comprised of nearly 27,000 acres, Zaleski is choked full of interesting habitats and flora with a few hidden rarities and surprises within its borders.  The particular spot I decided to explore is a nameless, deep hollow that branches off from a small stream valley and splits two parallel-running ridges; each with its own unique plant communities and diverse species compositions.  I opted to follow a lightly-worn deer path along the upper slopes of the southwest-facing ridge to scout out what summer wildflowers were in bloom and perhaps come across something new.  I'd walked the same expanse of mature deciduous forest many times before and had quickly grown to appreciate and love its undisturbed appearance and peaceful atmosphere.

I slowly weaved my way through the mixed forest of chestnut, black and white oaks, sourwood, serviceberry, and red maple; keeping my eyes carefully peeled for anything out of the ordinary.  The ground was covered in a surprisingly rich mosaic of vegetation accustomed to the xeric and acidic underlying soils.  Reindeer lichen and an assortment of moss species carpeted the ground, cushioning my light footsteps as they fell.  The waning late-afternoon sun filtered through the canopy and dappled the forest floor in intense beams of warm light.  Not even the thick air, heavy with humidity could spoil the tranquility of the place.

I eventually came to notice that one of my boot laces had come undone sometime during the hike and decided to stop and take care of the matter.  I slide my camera equipment off my back and knelt down to re-tie the laces when out of my peripheral vision I noticed an intriguing sprig of green growing  a few feet away in a large patch of moss just at the edge of the rock ledge.  It was quite small, only four or five inches in height but different enough to have caught my eye.  I leaned in closer and with a shocked smile realized I had made quite the fateful discovery.

Green Adder's-Mouth Orchid  -  Malaxis unifolia

That little green sprig turned out to be the relatively rare and minuscule green adder's-mouth orchid (Malaxis unifolia).  I sat back in disbelief at the randomness of the find and couldn't help but ponder the odds of choosing that very spot and moment to fix my laces.  These orchids are already notoriously hard enough to see and locate under the darkened canopy and overgrown ground cover in its early July woodland home, let alone their green color and miniature size.  Not the best of combinations for discovery but the increasing difficulty makes it all the more exciting!

Green Adder's-Mouth Orchid  -  Malaxis unifolia

It may come as little surprise then that this particular orchid is listed as potentially-threatened in Ohio with a limited number of collections and populations throughout the eastern half of the state.  I suspect it could be a lot more common and frequent than current records or knowledge indicates, considering its preferred habitat of dry, acidic mixed deciduous forest is readily available in our state.  Add in its tiny stature, color, and odd blooming time and you have the perfect set up for a vastly overlooked plant.

Each plant rises from a fleshy subterranean corm and produces a single stem topped with a raceme made up of dozens of puny inflorescences gradually maturing and elongating from the terminal cluster.  The scientific epithet of uniflora refers to the single leaf that sheathes the lower half of the stalk.  Despite the numerous individual flowers each plant produces, typically only one or two are successfully pollinated and quickly swell with microscopic seeds.  Looking at the photograph above you can see a single maturing capsule located  along the middle left side of the raceme.

Green Adder's-Mouth Orchid  -  Malaxis unifolia

The green adder's-mouth orchid has the distinction of being Ohio's smallest indigenous species of orchid (in terms of flower size) but that doesn't necessarily translate into little worth or interest.  I find it to be a rather charming and refined species of plant that few are lucky enough to lay eyes on and appreciate first hand.  Next time any of you reading this are hiking in the eastern half of Ohio and find yourself in a dry, acidic mixed oak or upland woods during the mid-summer months keep an eye out for this orchid.  You never know what you may luck into.

In the summers following my initial stumble onto this lone specimen of orchid I have journeyed back each year to get reacquainted with it and spend some more time admiring its unique design and appearance.  I'm happy to report this has been the fourth year in a row it has broken ground and flowered in the same exact spot as year's past.  With a bit of luck this little guy will be around to greet me as an old friend for many summers to come and I can enjoy its company under the mighty oaks and reminisce of our fateful chance encounter on that hot and muggy afternoon in early July...