Flora-Quest + Rails!!

Fringed Gentian, Gentianopsis virgata, a plant so striking it inspired William Cullen Bryant to commemorate it in poetry.

If I've added properly, this year marks the 10th anniversary of Flora-Quest, an Ohio-centric botanical event. F-Q is always loads of fun, and a great learning experience. Plants are pretty much the building blocks of most of our animal life forms, so what better group of organisms to study. Besides, many plants such as the gentian are knock-your-socks-off stunning.

This year's F-Q takes place on Friday, September 30 (what an excuse for a three day weekend!) and ventures to the shores of Lake Erie and the idyllic village of Lakeside. CLICK HERE for all the details. Within a stone's throw from base camp are LOTS of interesting habitats full of fascinating flora. The gentians are only 20 minutes off, in one of Ohio's finest prairie remnants. Field trips will explore marshes, beaches, prairies, alvar, and woodland, and in the process we'll cast eyes on many species of plants, learn about what makes them tick, and how they fit into the ecology of their habitats.

Wetland ecologist Mark Dilley will give one of his always entertaining talks, this one entitled Wetland Plants: Twenty to Thrill, Five to Kill. The title alone ought to entice you to attend.

I'm on the slate, too, offering up a program called: Lake Erie: Ohio's North Coast. It'll be a big picture look at how our Great Lake functions, its global importance and critical habitats, with special emphasis on plant life.

Nodding Ladies'-tresses, Spiranthes cernua.

After the morning programs and after the sun has warmed the earth's crust a bit, we're heading outdoors to SEE MANY THINGS. A premier cast of guides has been recruited to escort attendees to interesting habitats and their floral denizens. In addition to the orchid depicted above, we may also see the rarer Great Plains Ladies'-tresses, Spiranthes magnicamporum. And many, many other botanical delights. Plus birds, dragonflies, moths, butterflies, katydids, reptiles, etc. etc.

A Virginia Rail briefly shows itself. These marsh chickens are normally shy skulkers.

There is easy opportunity for a major double-whammy! After Friday's Flora-Quest diurnal activities, Jason Lewis will present a program on Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. There's no one better to do this, as Jason is the refuge manager. His openness and innovations at Ottawa have become widely known and appreciated, especially his making the refuge much more accessible to the public.

The following day, October 1, the Ohio Ornithological Society holds an event known as Rally for the Rails. It is also based at Lakeside, and I'd advise just staying over and making a double-header botany and birds weekend of it. There will be interesting speakers, field trips, and an evening banquet featuring Auriel Fournier talking about her research into the lives of secretive rails. You can see all the details about Rally for Rails RIGHT HERE. Lodging at Lakeside is very nice and very inexpensive. CLICK HERE for more details.

I''ll hope to see you there on what should be a glorious fall weekend along Lake Erie!

Think Plants!

Daughmer Savanna in Crawford County, one of Ohio's newest state nature preserves. The Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (DNAP) was instrumental in assuring the long-term protection of this stunning site, along with the Crawford County Park District.

DNAP, along with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and other partners, hosts the Ohio Botanical Symposium, which will be held on Friday, April 5th. This is the 13th year for the symposium, which began with about 35 people in a classroom at Ohio State University. From humble beginnings it has mushroomed into a can't-miss 400+ person botanical extravaganza. It's held at the Villa Milano in Columbus, and does fill up, so get your tickets soon. Organizers have put together another excellent agenda, as can be seen HERE, along with registration information. Don't dawdle; the symposium is an outstanding way to start the spring.

A snippet of the 65,000 acre Shawnee State Forest in southern Ohio. Hard to believe this is the Buckeye State, eh? If you've read this blog with any regularity you've probably seen some of the scores of posts that I've made about Shawnee and its flora and fauna over the years. This is one of the best wilderness areas in the Midwest, and coupled with the (nearly) adjacent Edge of Appalachia Preserve, there is some 80,000 acres to roam.

The area teems with rare flora, and a staggering abundance of more common plants. A visit to Shawnee and vicinity is always rewarding, and once you've been once, you're almost certain to visit again. The best indoctrination into Shawnee and its multitude of nooks and crannies is with experts who know it well: enter Flora-Quest. This field trip focused botanical event will soon host its 7th consecutive conference the weekend of May 3-5. Early May is the peak of spring wildflowers, and by the end of F-Q your mind will be spinning at all of the magnificent plants that you'll have encountered. If you've got a camera, your cards will be stuffed with megabytes of digitized botanical beauties.

Space is rather limited at F-Q, and it does fill up, so this is another event to sign onto soon. All of the details are RIGHT HERE.

Although it is 20 degrees as I write this, the signs of spring are everywhere and the days quickly grow longer. By the time the two events plugged above roll around, flowering plants will be in evidence everywhere. Following is a pictorial taste of what's to come...

Cross-vine, Bignonia capreolata, Adams County, Ohio, April 7th, 2012. The other, better looking Trumpet-creeper!

Striped Maple, Acer pensylvanicum, April 15, 2012, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. An endangered species in Ohio.

Birdfoot Violet, Viola pedata, April 25, 2012, Shawnee State Forest, Ohio. Flora-questers will get to see this beauty, which is arguably the showiest violet in North America.

Painted Trillium, Trillium undulatum, May 1, 2012, Monongehala National Forest, West Virginia. Another Ohio endangered species.

Pink Lady's-slipper, Cypripedium acaule, May 1, 2012, Babcock State Park, West Virginia. This stunning orchid is locally common in Shawnee State Forest and if you're at Flora-Quest you'll see 'em.

Dwarf Iris, Iris verna, May 3, 2008, Shawnee State Forest, Ohio. A roadside bank just a stone's throw from the state park lodge is blanketed with this Ohio threatened species, which is our only upland species of Iris.

Carolina Catchfly, Silene caroliniana, May 5, 2007, Shawnee State Forest, Ohio. These botanical stunners grow on nearly barren shaley hillsides and their brilliant flowers are jarring against the stark backdrop.

Spider Milkweed, Asclepias viridis, May 25, 2009, Edge of Appalachia Preserve, Adams County, Ohio. This large-flowered milkweed grows in prairie barrens and is sometimes known by the whimsical name "Green Antelopehorn".

Green Cottongrass, Eriophorum viridicarinatum, June 8, 2005, Cedar Bog, Urbana, Ohio. This rarity is confined to fens in Ohio, and is not a grass, but a sedge.

Crested Coralroot, Hexalectris spicata, July 14, 2012, prairie in Adams County, Ohio. One of forty-six native orchid species in Ohio (there is one well established nonnative species).

Obedient Plant, Physostegia virginiana, August 19, 2011, Willow Point Wildlife Area, Ohio. The curious common name stems from the flowers, which can be twisted around the stem as if on an axle, and will remain where placed.

Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis, August 31, 2011, Crane Hollow State Nature Preserve, Ohio. Easily in the top tier of our most striking wildflowers, the specimen in this photo was particularly engaging - it stood about seven feet tall!

Climbing Fern, Lygodium palmatum, September 15, 2007, Shawnee State Forest, Ohio. This strange fern is rare and local in southeastern Ohio. The broader leaves are sterile; the tiny lacy leaves are the fertile spore-bearing leaves.

Fringed Gentian, Gentianopsis virgata, October 6, 2012, Betsch Fen, Ohio. A fitting grand finale to Ohio's botanical season, but there is much to see between now and the gentian's closure to the season.

Flora-Quest

Shawnee State Forest, photo taken from the summit of the Copperhead Lookout Fire Tower, last Sunday.

If you've tagged along with this blog much, or for very long, you'll likely have noticed that I spend a fair bit of time in southern Ohio's Shawnee State Forest. There's a good reason that I'm drawn to the area. Shawnee harbors some of the richest biodiversity to be found anywhere in the Midwest, and roaming its 65,000 acres is always rewarding. Add in the sprawling Edge of Appalachia preserve and its 15,000 acres - a stone's throw to the west - and we've got a massive wilderness full of diverse flora and fauna.

I will heartily recommend a great way to learn about this region, whether you are a first timer or have made many visits: Flora-Quest. Now in its sixth year, "F-Q" takes place from May 4th thru 6th, and is centered at the wonderful Shawnee Lodge and Conference Center smack in the middle of the forest.

Redbud, Cercis canadensis. A common treelet in Shawnee, and the host plant for the magnificent Henry's elfin butterfly.

The primary focus of Flora-Quest is guided excursions into the field, accompanied by some of the best botanists/naturalists to be found in this part of the world. Keeping company with knowledgeable guides is useful for several reasons. One, Shawnee and the neighboring Edge of Appalachia are so vast that it's hard for the uninitiated to figure out where the best hotspots are. The guides know. Also, if you really want to learn more about plants, there is no better way to do it than to spend time with someone who is a veritable walking encyclopedia of botanical knowledge. The guide roster really is a Who's Who: CLICK HERE to see who they are.

Trailing arbutus, Epigaea repens, a trailing member of the heath family and one of our first wildflowers to bloom.

There are interesting lectures as well, in the comfort of the lodge's capacious conference room. This year, Guy Denny and Martin McAllister headline Flora-Quest, and few people know this area like they do. Read more about them HERE.

A true star of spring, the fire pink, Silene virginica. This stunner always stops everyone in their tracks.

While plant diversity abounds, the fauna just cannot be ignored. Over 100 species of breeding birds can be found in Shawnee and vicinity, including more warblers than you can shake a stick at. Chances are you'll hear Cerulean Warblers serenading you from your lodge room's balcony, and Hooded, Worm-eating, Kentucky, Blue-winged, and Black-and-white warblers are a dime a dozen. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Butterflies are outrageously abundant, and you can expect to see thirty species or more. One of the guides, all the way from Florida, is Jaret Daniels, author of the Butterflies of Ohio and a stellar field man. He knows plants, too!

Long-spurred violet, Viola rostrata, one of our most striking species of violets. Its growth habit is such that the plants appear to be elfin shrubs. This species, along with the MANY other species of violets in Shawnee, are host plants for the plentiful great spangled fritillary butterflies.

If you are interested in learning to sort out seemingly tricky groups like the violets, your guides can help. Try and stump 'em if you can! If you are more casual in your interests, that's fine, too. Whatever the case, you'll want to bring your camera, especially for the lady's-slipper orchids!

Goldenstar, Erythronium rostratum, one of the rarest plants in Ohio. This gorgeous lily will be past by the time of Flora-Quest, but there will be a whole new cast of rare plants that will have taken its place. That's one of the allures of exploring this area - the incredible number of very rare species that can be found.

We get all too few precious springs over the course of our lives, and not a one should be wasted. Sign on to Flora-Quest before all the spaces are filled. It'll be a fantastic experience, I'll guarantee it. CLICK HERE for registration information.

Flora-Quest goodies

I spent last weekend in southern Ohio's Shawnee State Forest, helping lead field trips for Flora-Quest. This was the fifth year for this great event, and you can't go wrong by putting in your 2012 calendar. As always, event leaders Cheryl Harner and Paula Harper did a fabulous job with logistics and all aspects of the event. The plants cooperated as well, and all groups saw lots of great stuff. A few highlights follow.

A Blue-headed Vireo expertly crafts its nest, which is woven finer than a Longaberger basket. This vireo nearly always sites its nest at the fork of two spindly branches, far out from the trunk. It would be quite difficult for any tree-climbing predator to reach the nest, such as black rat snakes. This one was in a sugar maple, and 20 or so feet off the ground. Thanks to Chris Bedel, who spotted the nest and tipped us to its location.

Blue-headed Vireos are northerly breeders of cool, often boreal forests, but they seem to be expanding southward. I know of several sites for nesters in Shawnee, although one isn't often so lucky as to stumble into the actual nest.

There must have been an excellent emergence of luna moths, as a number of people found them. I was talking with some birders along a forest road when I glanced up and saw this beauty hanging from a plant. In short order, we found another, mating pair. This lime-green moth is an outstanding twig and leaf mimic. Notice how the purplish bar along the forewings resembles a twig. The rest of the wings look like a green leaf hanging down, and the two tear drops coming off the purple "twig" even look like tree buds.

This luna is a male, as evidenced by the broad, fernlike antennae. He uses them to sense the pheromones released by females, and can detect these chemical lures from a mile or more.

Pink lady's-slippers, Cypripedium acaule, always a crowd pleaser. It seems to be a great year for orchids, as we saw large numbers of many species - far more than in lean years. The sight of dozens of pink lady's-slippers is a spectacle not soon forgotten.

This is a bizarre orchid we were really hoping to show Flora-Quest attendees, and luck was with us. It is whorled pogonia, Isotria verticillata. These scarce oddities apparently don't even surface in some years; rather, they live in the subterranean as rootstock. In good years, whatever causes those, the weird little orchids burst forth and put on a show.

It'd be quite easy to walk right by a whorled pogonia. They only stand perhaps six inches in height, and blend well with the dappled light of the forest floor. Once seen, they encourage prolonged inspection, as the sum of the orchidaceous parts creates an artistically stunning arrangement. Most conspicuous are the long deep purple sepals, spanning outwards like the blades of a windmill. The waxy green leaves form a whorl that caps the thick whitened stem.

The actual flower? Well, it's rather overshadowed by the orchid's other parts, but like every other orchid I have come to know, it is ornately intricate upon close examination.

Flora-Quest!

For the fifth year running, the event known as Flora-Quest is back and better than ever. Held in the heart of the vast woodlands of Ohio's Shawnee State Forest, this is hands-down one of the most rewarding immersions into natural history that one could ask for. "F-Q" takes place over the weekend of April 29 to May 1 - a time when Shawnee is lush with growth, full of birds, and lots of other interesting fauna.

If you've not been to Ohio or have spent little time here, and love natural history, I really encourage you to consider attending F-Q. There are very few places in the eastern U.S. that can rival Shawnee State Forest and vicinity in terms of sheer plant diversity, rare species, great honking globs of butterflies, and over 100 breeding bird species, most in big numbers.

The event is organized to the nth degree and run flawlessly, and it's not like you'll be stuffed in some drafty tent - unless you want to be. Base camp is the wonderful lodge at Shawnee State Park, which is as nice as about any hotel, with a restaurant, and bar! Plus, there'll be Luna moths stuck to the side of the building when you emerge in the morning, and you'll be able to hear Cerulean Warblers singing from your room.

Plants are the focus of Flora-Quest; Exhibit A above. There are ten "Quests", each led by a pair of extremely knowledgeable botanists/naturalists who know the region like the back of their hand. The group above is clambering around an old, remote cemetery that is carpeted with Indian-paintbrush, Castilleja coccinea, in spring. Each Quest has a subfocus, such as birds, aquatic life, geology, etc. Come on mine, for instance, and I will guarantee you will see MANY birds.

Thus, Flora-Quest is really a fabulous hands-on workshop in ecology, taught by people who really know their stuff and are good at conveying that knowledge to others. After the field trips are over at day's end, it's either party central at the lodge or we can head out and look for Whip-poor-wills, scads of cool amphibians such as Mountain Chorus Frogs, and possibly even a Bobcat or Bigfoot.

Since Year One, there has been a mascot plant for every F-Q, and I'll share those as each is telling in regards to the sensational diversity of flora in and around Shawnee. This one is the threatened Wherry's Catchfly, Silene caroliniana ssp. wherryi. It grows on barren shaley slopes under oaks, and the profusion of brilliant pink blooms on an otherwise stark forest floor makes one rub one's eyes and blink, so striking is the effect.

Our largest and showiest violet is this, the Birdfoot Violet, Viola pedata. It liberally festoons dry rocky banks, and we'll see lots of the stuff. It is one of the violets that feeds the caterpillars of the striking Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly, which occurs in such profusion in Shawnee that it can be mind-numbing.

Everyone loves an orchid, and we'll see some cool ones. This is Large Yellow Lady's-slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens. An impossibly good looking plant, it often inspires otherwise normal people to prostrate themselves to better admire its charms. Large bumblebees - quite fuzzy! - provide pollination services.

An arguably cooler orchid yet is the Pink Lady's-slipper, Cypripedium acaule. We know of spots where this and the yellow slipper grow nearly hand in hand. There are colonies of the pink that number into the dozens. This species, to me, has an almost surreal alien quality, bursting as it does from from an otherwise flowerless carpet of oak leaf litter. Had I nothing better to do, I could plop down in a patch of these pink slippers and stare at them for quite some time - and sometimes do, anyway.

And this year's Flora-Quest official plant is the utterly smashing Dwarf Iris, Iris verna. It's our smallest and rarest iris - listed as threatened in Ohio - and the only one that grows high and dry on upland ridges. Shawnee State Forest is really the only good place to see it in Ohio, and if you come, see it you will.

Here's part of the group from a few years ago. A good time was had by all, and I guarantee everyone upped their botanical IQ by at least a few points.

If you want to start spring with a bang, sign on to Flora-Quest soon. Spaces are limited, to keep field trips down to a level that ensures great leader to participant ratios, so check in soon.

All of the details are RIGHT HERE. Hope to see you there!