Bastard Toadflax

 

Among the first wave of spring wildflowers in northern Michigan is this, the interesting Bastard Toadflax, Comandra umbellata. I made this shot last Thursday, just as the plants were coming into bloom.

I'm up in Presque Isle County at NettieBay Lodge, where I've spent a chunk of 12 of the last 13 Mays. I lead groups around, primarily looking for birds, and we roam from the sere elfin Jack Pine forests in the west of the county, to the world's 5th largest freshwater lake, Lake Huron, on the east side of the county. Our first group came in Thursday afternoon, and we've already eclipsed 100 species of birds. Quality time has been spent with Brewer's Blackbirds, Black-billed Cuckoos, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, Golden-winged Warbler and much more.

But we pause to view the flora, which is near impossible to ignore. The little toadflax is an interesting member of the Sandalwood Family (Santalaceae), and this largely tropical group is represented in Michigan by only three species. One is a true parasite, a dwarf mistletoe that grows mostly on Black Spruce. The other is a hemiparasite - it derives partial nutrition from surrounding plants by tapping into their roots via specialized rootlets known as haustoria.

The Bastard Toadflax is also a hemiparasite and the sponging element of its life style may account for its odd common name. I've done a bit of shooting, and will do a bit more before leaving, and will post up some cool (I think) stuff later.