Category Archives: Plants & Fungi

plants & fungi

Now Blooming in Late May

Phenology, Plants & Fungi, Schenley Park
Fire pink, Harrison Hills Park, 12 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Fire pink, Harrison Hills Park, 12 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

April showers bring May flowers.  Here’s a taste of what’s blooming now in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Fire pink (Silene virginica) was blooming in Harrison Hills Park on May 12, above.  When I went back to take its picture someone had picked most of it.  🙁

Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is blooming in Schenley Park. At first you’ll notice it’s large three-part leaves, then you’ll see the pulpit where Jack lives.  Some of the pulpits have stripes inside, some do not.  Lift the lid to see.

Jack in the Pulpit, Schenley Park, 18 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Jack in the Pulpit, Schenley Park, 18 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Squawroot (Conopholis americana) isn’t green because it has no chlorophyll. Instead it coexists with oak trees, taking nourishment from their roots. Though it’s parasitic it rarely hurts the trees.  This month squawroot’s “bear corn” flowers are everywhere in Schenley Park.

Squawroot, Schenley Park, 18 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Squawroot, Schenley Park, 18 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum), an imported tree, are blooming too. Did you know the flowers are color coded for bees?    After pollination they’ll produce the nuts that we call “buckeyes.”  It’s a confusing name! Click here for the difference between a chestnut, a horse chestnut and our native yellow buckeye.

Horse chestnut tree in bloom, Schenley Park, 14 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Horse chestnut tree in bloom, Schenley Park, 14 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Get outdoors and see what’s blooming in late May.

(photos by Kate St. John)

Mayflower Time

Phenology, Plants & Fungi
Canada Mayflowers (photo by Dianne Machesney)
Canada Mayflowers (photo by Dianne Machesney)

While Eurasian lilies-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) are blooming in my garden, these “false lilies of the valley” are blooming in the Laurel Highlands.

Maianthemum canadense are woodland plants that range from the Yukon to Newfoundland to northern Pennsylvania and in the Appalachian Mountains to Georgia. Their preference for cooler temperatures makes them abundant in Canada and they bloom in late May, hence their common name: Canada mayflower.

When you find a patch of Canada mayflowers you’ve found a single organism that spread through its rhizomes.  The flowers do produce a few berries but the plant’s most successful propagation is underground.

Lilies-of-the-valley spread underground, too, and have taken over half my garden.  The difference between the two is that lilies-of-the-valley are poisonous to wildlife while Canada mayflowers are not.

Watch for them blooming this month in southwestern Pennsylvania. It’s Mayflower time.

 

(photo by Dianne Machesney)

Leaves!

Phenology, Plants & Fungi, Schenley Park
The trees have leaves and flowers at last, Schenley Park, 4 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
The trees have leaves and flowers at last, Schenley Park, 4 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

At last the trees have flowers and leaves!  It happened in less than a week.

Last Sunday was so cold we wore winter coats in Schenley Park.  By midweek it was 80 degrees every day.  In the heat, the trees responded.  Their buds burst into flowers and leaves.

As soon as the buds burst, the insects responded.  Most are too small to notice but the tentworms stand out. When I see these tents I know there are lots of bugs in the trees.

Tentworms on a small cherry tree, Schenley Park, 3 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Tentworms on a small cherry tree, Schenley Park, 3 May 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

And with the bugs came migrating birds.  Here are the new arrivals in Schenley Park, Wednesday May 2 to Friday May 4:

  • Spotted Sandpiper
  • Ruby-throated hummingbird
  • Yellow-throated vireo
  • House wren
  • Eastern bluebird (bluebirds don’t overwinter in Schenley)
  • Swainson’s thrush
  • Wood thrush
  • Gray catbird (I hoped for him last Sunday; he arrived on Friday)
  • Ovenbird
  • Black-and-white warbler
  • Tennessee warbler
  • Nashville warbler
  • Hooded warbler
  • Chestnut-sided warbler
  • Palm warbler
  • Scarlet tanager
  • Rose-breasted grosbeak
  • Baltimore oriole

UPDATE: additional species on Saturday May 5:

  • Golden-winged warbler (!)
  • American redstart
  • Northern parula
  • Magnolia warbler
  • Black-throated blue warbler
  • Black-throated green warbler
  • Orchard oriole

I can hardly wait for an indigo bunting.  I’ll be out there again today.

I love leaves!

 

(photos by Kate St. John)

 

New Flowers And Leaves

Phenology, Plants & Fungi, Schenley Park
Saucer magnolia in bloom, Schenley park, 23 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Saucer magnolia in bloom, Schenley park, 23 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Spring has finally sprung!  Here are just a few of the new flowers and leaves in western Pennsylvania.

The week began with spectacular saucer magnolia trees, above.  Relentless cold temperatures had kept all the buds closed until they simultaneously burst into an aromatic pink display.  Today the petals coat our sidewalks.

Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) is an early native wildflower that fades so quickly you have to be on the spot to see it bloom.  Thursday morning at Enlow Fork we found the twin leaves open and the buds closed.

Twinleaf in the morning, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Twinleaf in the morning, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Twinleaf flowers, closed in the morning, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Twinleaf flowers, closed in the morning, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

By early afternoon the flowers had been open for several hours.  How soon they will fade!

Twinleaf in the afternoon, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Twinleaf in the afternoon, Enlow Fork, 26 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna) is a later flower with a longer life on the stem.  It’s just started blooming at Enlow Fork.

Blue-eyed Mary, Enlow Fork, 26 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Blue-eyed Mary, Enlow Fork, 26 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

The trees are blooming, too.  On Monday redbud (Cercis canadensis) flowers began to appear at Schenley Park …

Redbud in the bud, Schenley Park, 23 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Redbud in the bud, Schenley Park, 23 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

… hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) unfurled its yellow catkins …

Hop hornbeam catkins, Schenley Park, 23 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Hop hornbeam catkins, Schenley Park, 23 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

… and the first tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) leaf emerged.

Tulip leaf emerging from bud, 23 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Tulip leaf emerging from bud, 23 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

The yellow buckeyes (Aesculus flava) made a big splash of green.

Ohio buckeye leaves, 23 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Yellow buckeye leaves, 23 Apr 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

The flowers and trees are much further along and the redbuds are in full bloom today.

Get outdoors to see them fast before they go to seed.

(photos by Kate St. John)

Flowers and the Smell of Coal

Phenology, Plants & Fungi
Bloodroot open in full sun, 11 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bloodroot open in full sun, 11 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

A group of us went to Cedar Creek Park in Westmoreland County last Wednesday, April 11, to look for birds and blooms.  Our highlights were six Louisiana waterthrushes and the largest spread of snow trillium we’d ever seen.

The morning was cold and cloudy so the bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) was still closed when we arrived. By the time we left it was fully open (above).

Bloodroot in the chilly morning, 11 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Bloodroot in the chilly morning, 11 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

We were surprised to find snow trillium (Trillium nivale) at its peak in mid April.  This flower usually blooms in February or March but cold weather must have held it back. So many blooms!

Snow trillium at its peak, 11 April 2018, Cedar Creek Park (photo by Kate St. John)
Snow trillium at its peak, 11 April 2018, Cedar Creek Park (photo by Kate St. John)

While we lingered near the snow trillium I noticed the smell of burning coal.  The site is far from any source so I wondered where the smell came from.

Later I learned that there are many abandoned coal mines in Rostraver Township and there’s a history of abandoned mine and waste pile fires.

Did I smell an old mine fire still burning?  Has a new fire just begun?  Do any of you know the answer?

 

(photos by Kate St. John)

p.s. Blooming News:  I visited Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve on Friday April 13 where I found the flowers far behind Core Arboretum and even behind Cedar Creek.  Yes, spring has been slow to come — and it’s trying to leave again.  This phenology map from NPN shows our delayed spring in blue.

First leaf Anomaly, 14 April 2018 from usanpn.org
First leaf Anomaly, 14 April 2018 from usanpn.org

 

Two Kinds of Spring Beauty

Plants & Fungi
Carolina Spring Beauty, Core Arboretum, 8 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Carolina Spring Beauty, Core Arboretum, 8 April 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

On Throw Back Thursday:

Last Sunday I saw Carolina spring beauties blooming at the Core Arboretum in Morgantown, West Virginia.  They reminded me of this 2011 article, Two Kinds of Spring Beauty, though I didn’t see the second kind.  (Click the link to read about both flowers.)

Flowers bloom earlier in Morgantown because it’s 60 miles south of us.  Spring moves north 13 miles a day so we should expect our spring beauties to bloom today or tomorrow. And they will because of our temporarily hot weather.

If you’re near Morgantown, the Core Arboretum offers wildflower walks on three Sundays in April every year.  The first walk was last Sunday but you still have time to join naturalists from West Virginia University at 2pm on April 15 and April 22 to see what’s blooming.  Click here for directions.

 

(photo by Kate St. John)

How Early Is Spring This Year?

Climate Change, Phenology, Plants & Fungi, Weather & Sky
Snow this morning in Pittsburgh, 2 April 2018, 7:30am (photo by Kate St. John)
Snow this morning in Pittsburgh, 2 April 2018, 7:30am (photo by Kate St. John)

How early is Spring this year? That’s a hard question to answer.

This morning we have snow again in Pittsburgh and heavy snow-cloud skies. Spring feels late and yet it was early at first.

The animated map below from the National Phenology Network (NPN) shows the emergence of leaves across the Lower 48 States. NPN uses honeysuckle leaves as their marker plant and so do I.  The blue color shows late emergence, red means early.  Our leaves were 20 days early in Pittsburgh.

USA National Phenology Network Spring Leaf Anomaly, 30 March 2018 (from usanpn.org)
USA National Phenology Network Spring Leaf Anomaly, 30 March 2018 (from usanpn.org)

Here’s proof from February 20, 2018.

Honeysuckle leaves open in the heat, 20 Feb 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Honeysuckle leaves open in the heat, 20 Feb 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Since then Nature did a 180-degree turn and handed us a series of cold snaps capped by snow.  Our wildflowers have not bloomed yet.  Last year they were two to three weeks early and had gone to seed by the end of March.

Fortunately NPN tracks first blooms as well, using lilacs as the marker plant.(*)  On the map below you can see the Southeast bloomed 20 days early.

USA NPN Spring Bloom Anomaly, March 30, 2018 (from usanpn.org)
USA NPN Spring Bloom Anomaly, March 30, 2018 (from usanpn.org)

But we aren’t on the bloom map yet.

When will our wildflowers bloom?  We’ll have to wait and see.

 

(photo by Kate St. John. Animated maps from usanpn.org)

* From the USA NPN website: These models were constructed using historical observations of the timing of first leaf and first bloom in a cloned lilac cultivar (Syringa x chinensis’Red Rothomagensis’) and two cloned honeysuckle cultivars (Lonicera tatarica ‘Arnold Red’ and L. korolkowii ‘Zabelii’).

Yellow In Bloom

Phenology, Plants & Fungi, Schenley Park
Cornelian cherry in Schenley Park, 26 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Cornelian cherry blooming in Schenley Park, 26 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Some yellow flowers bloomed this week.

Above, Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) opened its buds in Schenley Park and other cultivated locations.  Introduced from southern Europe, this small tree is in the dogwood family.

Another Eurasian plant, coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), started blooming along roadsides in mid March but was suppressed by the 8-10 inches of snow on March 22.  It came back quickly last week.

Coltsfoot in bloom, 26 March 2018 (photo by Kate St.John)
Coltsfoot in bloom, 26 March 2018 (photo by Kate St.John)

Meanwhile, there’s frost this morning in my backyard.  My daffodils are still waiting for better weather.

Daffodils in the bud. Frost on the leaves, 31 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Daffodils in the bud. Frost on the leaves, 31 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

 

p.s. The air smells bad today in Pittsburgh because industrial pollution is trapped by an inversion. (Rotten egg smell!)  Check the Smell Report for March 31 on the map here.

(photos by Kate St. John)

St. Patrick’s Plant Is Harder To Find

Plants & Fungi
White clover leaf, Trifolium repens (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
White clover leaf, Trifolium repens (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

On St. Patrick’s Day:

Did you know the shamrock used to be easy find in suburbia, but now it’s not?

The shamrock is one of two species:  lesser clover (Trifolium dubium) or white clover (Trifolium repens).  We don’t have much lesser clover in the U.S. but we used to have lots of white clover.  You could find it in any lawn.

White clover in flower (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
White clover in flower (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Fifty years ago white clover was mixed into every bag of grass seed because it grows well in poor soil, is drought-tolerant, immune to diseases, unattractive to common turf insects, and it makes its own fertilizer.  Clover sets nitrogen in nodules on its roots, thus adding nitrogen to the soil.

White clover was so common that as a child I searched our lawn for lucky four leaf clovers and found them!

With all these advantages, what happened?

Broad-leaf weed killers came into use.  Intended to kill dandelions, English plantain, etc. these chemicals kill white clover, too.  Ever since the weed killers took over white clover hasn’t been mixed with grass seed. Not for a very long time.

Good luck finding a four-leaf clover today.

 

(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the images to see the originals)

p.s. Info on clover’s advantages is from: Grow a Patch of Clover to Rejuvenate Your Lawn.

Plants Are Making Progress

Phenology, Plants & Fungi
Honeysuckle leaves, 7 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Honeysuckle leaves, 7 March 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

Despite the cold weather, the plants are making progress toward spring.

The honeysuckle leaves above on March 7 are the same ones I photographed on February 20 below.

Honeysuckle leaves open in the heat, 20 Feb 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)
Honeysuckle leaves open in the heat, 20 Feb 2018 (photo by Kate St. John)

It’s interesting to note that the first leaves that opened in February are still small, though mature.  Newer leaves are the normal size.

 

(photos by Kate St. John)