Wild Leeks in Talladega

Broad-leafed wild leeks (Allium ampeloprasum) that my lab mate found in Talladega National Forest.

      I was doing some field work in Talladega National Forest and my lab mate spotted a patch of broad-leafed wild leeks (Allium ampeloprasum)*!  We improvised some digging sticks to harvest a few, but we were sure to leave some to repopulate the patch.  The digging sticks worked pretty well, and unlike shovels, they don't chop bulbs into pieces.  They also leave the soil behind so the habitat isn't disturbed as much as it is when using shovels.  The leeks were very strong and spicy when raw, but had a pleasant flavor when cooked.  None of the leeks had flowers yet, and they appeared to be actively growing, so they should be around for a little while.   Readers in more northern states should have plenty of time to find them.  However, before you go out harvesting leeks, learn how to identify them.

Spicebush

The fruit of the spicebush (Lindera benzoin) are as distinctive in flavor and aroma as they are in appearance.  Photo by Jenna Crovo, used with permission.

      A little over a week ago, I was doing some fish collecting on the Paint Rock River (North of Huntsville, AL).  Fortunately, we found some rare blotchside log perch, but that is not the topic of this post.  Instead I would like to focus on the not-so-rare, but very useful, spicebush (Lindera benzoin).  I didn't notice it on my previous trips to the area, but now that the bush is fruiting it is very easy to spot.  Before you go out searching riverbanks and creek edges, you probably want to know what you can use spicebush for*.  Well, read on, because it has multiple uses.

Mutant Daylily

This daylily has an extra petal and an extra sepal.  It doesn't always bloom this way. I'm anxious to see if it will occur again this year.

      Yesterday, I noticed that my daylily (Hemerocallis sp.) is about to bloom.  Last year, it surprised me because instead of having 6 tepals it had 8 (a tepal is just a petal or sepal.  Most non-botany people refer to both the petals and sepals on a daylily as "petals" but, the outer "petals" are actual sepals.  See photo below for clarification).  I think this is just a simple mutation, similar to the mutation that causes 4 leaf clovers but, I am not sure.  It will be interesting to see if this occurs again.  I'll update if it does.  I won't be able to post for the next few days but, hopefully I'll have some material to write about when I get back online again.  By the way, daylily flowers are also edible.

Carnivorous Pitcher Plants

A flowering white-topped pitcher plant (Sarracenia leucophylla).  If you could actually look closely at the inside of the pitcher, you would notice downward pointing hairs, called spicules, that allow insects to go down the pitcher but make it very hard for them to climb or fly up.

      Florida is a great place to be a naturalist.  There is such a wide variety of habitats resulting in a wide variety of species that can be found.  If you have read this blog before, you know that I work with fish but, I am also a a hobby-botanist.  During this time of year, I can't help but notice all the flowers that are blooming and plants that are leafing out.  While on a short walk the other day, I noticed this white-topped pitcher plant so I snapped a few photos.  These plants used to very common in my my neighborhood but there aren't that many these days.  Fire suppression, habitat destruction, nutrient and herbicide runoff, and over-harvesting are all threats to pitcher plants.  If you want to learn more, check out this link.  Florida has some other carnivorous plants, including other species of pitcher plants and some species that aren't pitcher plants.  I have a few photos of them too.  Maybe I'll write some posts about them.

Teaberry: American Wintergreen

American winterberry, or Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), a great trailside nibble.

       Last week, I spent some time with my grandparents in Pennsylvania and I learned of an herb that they called teaberry.  I was told that even in winter, the leaves of the evergreen plant remain, so I thought there was a chance that I could still find some.  However, teaberry did not appear in any of my books, so I didn't even know exactly what to look for.  With a few inches of fresh snow on the ground, and more falling, I laced up my boots and trudged out into the old field adjacent to my grandparent's house.  In no time at all, I found a small, evergreen plant, that had a slight scent of wintergreen.  This was the plant!  What I did not expect were the many red, persistent fruit that had set in the summer, still clinging to the plant just inches above the frozen ground.

Hearts

      This is a little late, but I have not had internet access so I'm posting it today as opposed to Tuesday.  Since we just had Valentine's Day, the classic image of a heart is fresh in many people's minds.  Although real hearts don't look anything like that there are many other things in nature that do.

The cross-section of this pignut hickory (Carya glabra) seed has a nice heart shape.  Others liken the shape to a pig's nose, hence the common name.

Spring Time in the Southeast

      It is with great irony that I am writing this post because it is snowing outside right now.  However, I'm in Baltimore, not the southeast, and on my drive up here I was able to see the early signs of spring.  Last Friday, I was camping in Blackwater State forest (N. Florida) and the sparkleberries (Vaccinium arboreum) were already in bloom!  Even way back in  January I spotted a "confused" elderberry plant that was flowering.  Normally, I don't see them until early summer.  I was also surprised to see the dewberries (Rubus trivialis) are blooming too.  As long as we don't get a late frost, we should have plenty for eating, making jams, and fermenting into wine or mead.  The fragrant black titis (Cliftonia monophylla) that normally bloom in late February or March are also starting to bloom in wetlands and along roadside ditches.  Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) are blooming in hardwood forests and residential areas. Cultivated plants such as Chinese magnolias, red buds, Bradford pears and evens some azaleas are blooming along city streets and in suburban yards.

Dewberries (Rubus trivialis) are blooming early this year.  Pay attention to where you see these flowers because sweet and tart fruit will replace the flowers in late spring (Photo by Jonathan Bollhoefer).