Category: Flowers

Ad Astra

To The Stars

MichaelStephenWills

A mass of lavender asters produced for a painterly, restful esthetic. Over the years I have tended beds of these wildflowers. The sunlight of late August/early September here in the Finger Lakes is especially clear and this is when these asters bloom. This were caught on a clear September evening with the sun just behind a stand of large Ash trees.

Click Me to visit this image in my fine art gallery

“Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (formerly Aster novi-belgii), commonly called New York aster. Symphyotrichum, a genus in the family Asteraceae, whose species were once considered to be part of the genus Aster. Plants in both these genera are popularly known as Michaelmas daisy because they bloom around September 29, St. Michael’s Day. The Latin specific epithet novi-belgii (literally “New Belgium”) refers not to modern Belgium, but the 17th century Dutch colony New Netherland which was established on land currently occupied by New York state (as Belgica Foederata was the Latin term for the United Netherlands at the time).“

Reference: Wikipedia “Symphyotrichum novi-belgii.”

Copyright 2023 Michael StephenWills All Rights Reserved

Wild Carrot

have you ever noticed the black petals in the center?

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Found in a meadow of the Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve. The function of the central dark florets of D. carota has been subject to debate since Charles Darwin speculated that they are a vestigial trait.

It has been suggested that they have the adaptive function of mimicking insects, thus either discouraging herbivory, or attracting pollinators by indicating the presence of food or opportunities for mating.

One study in Portugal found that the dark florets contributed to visitation by the varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, and that higher numbers of dark florets correlated with increased visitation, whereas inflorescences without dark florets had fewer visits. Replacing the dark florets with one or more freeze-killed A. verbasci, who are similar to the florets in size and shape produced similar results to those observations of inflorescences with intact florets..

This specimen was found among many others in a meadow of the Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve

Click me for another post from this forest preserve.

References
Wikipedia, Daucus carota

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Lake Treman

formed by a 1930’s Dam on Buttermilk Creek

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Lake Treman from the dam.

Buttermilk creek flowing into Lake Treman.

Dam on Buttermilk creek that forms Lake Treman. Here is stunning Civilian Conservation Corp (1930’s) work in this 36-foot-high stone dam that is not only a spectacle to observe but also serves as part of the trail that encircles Lake Treman. The man-made lake’s wooded shores and placid waters are a stark comparison to the gorge’s rocky cliffs and surging water

August 2023, Buttermilk Falls New York State Park, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Wild Ducks

On Lake Treman.

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Two species of wild ducks rest on a fallen tree trunk.

That is a female Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) on right.

Wood Ducks mainly eat berries, acorns, and seeds, but also insects, making them omnivores. They are able to crush acorns after swallowing them within their gizzard.

August 2023, Buttermilk Falls New York State Park, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Thin Leaved Sunflower

The flowers attract many kinds of insects, including bees and butterflies.

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Thin Leaved Sunflowers (Helianthus decapetalus)

As with other members of the family Asteraceae, Thin Leaved Sunflowers are composed of ray florets. The scientific species name “decapetalus” is inaccurate on several counts. The flower is composed of 8-12 (not only 10, as in “deca”) of these ray florets, not petals. These ray florets are part of the flower reproductive organs, a flower petal is adjacent to, not a component of, a flowers reproductive parts.

The flowers attract many kinds of insects, including bees and butterflies, some of which, such as the painted lady and the silvery checkerspot, use the plant as a larval host. The seeds provide a source of food for birds. Muskrats eat the leaves and stems and use the stems in the construction of their lodges. Here we see a honeybee gathering nectar and pollen.

August 2023, Buttermilk Falls New York State Park, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Ghost Pipes that grow in the dark

chlorophyll free

MichaelStephenWills

I found these popping up from leaf litter, a mixture of last year’s maple and elm, on an August morning. The dappled light, varied from bright to very dark, exceeded the dynamic range of my equipment, so I set up the Sony dslr Alpha700 with the Sony lens DT 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 on a tripod and, using the remote feature, placed the flash at an optimal angle.

“Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant, ghost pipe, or Indian pipe, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of Asia, North America, and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. The plant is sometimes completely waxy white, but often has black flecks or pale pink coloration. Rare variants may have a deep red color. The name “Monotropa” is Greek for “one turn” and “uniflora” is Latin for “one flowered” as there is one sharply curved stem for each single flower. It flowers from early summer to early autumn, often a few days after rainfall. The fruit, an oval capsule-like structure, enlarges and becomes upright when the seeds mature, at this point stem and capsule looking desiccated and dark brown or black. The seeds of Monotropa uniflora are small, ranging between 0.6–0.8 mm (3⁄128–1⁄32 in) in length.“

“Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll. Instead of generating food using the energy from sunlight, it is parasitic, and more specifically a mycoheterotroph. Its hosts are certain fungi that are mycorrhizal with trees, meaning it ultimately gets its food from photosynthetic trees. Since it is not dependent on sunlight to grow, it can grow in very dark environments as in the understory of dense forest. The complex relationship that allows this plant to grow also makes propagation difficult.“

“The flowers of Monotropa uniflora are visited by various bee and fly species, most commonly bumblebees. Bumblebees are an important pollen dispersal agent for the plant.“

“Like most mycoheterotrophic plants, Monotropa uniflora associates with a small range of fungal hosts, all of them members of Russulaceae.“

“It is often associated with beech trees.“

“The plant contains glycosides and may be toxic to humans.“

“In addition to various reported medical uses, the plant has been used as an anxiolytic in herbal medicine since the late 19th century.“

Reference: in italics is from “Monotropa uniflora,” Wikipedia

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Visiting a Bog

Chicago Bog, part of Lime Hollow Nature Center

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The grandchildren and I hiked the 0.6 mile trail through old growth forest to visit a bog. In the 1830’s there was a village named Chicago along Gracie Road, which gives it the name we have today. The Chicago Bog is home to many carnivorous plants, including sundew, the pitcher plant, and more. The deepest depth of the bog is about 7.2 ft. The bog is along the Phillips Memorial Trail, which can be found on Gracie Road. Lime Hollow Nature Center, Cortland, New York.

Listen to the Wood Thrush and other bird song in this short video.

A dragonfly landed on the log, in the above images, lying at my feet. This male Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia) is a skimmer dragonfly found in the northern United States and southern Canada.

Chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly

Juveniles of both sexes are light reddish brown, with white shoulder stripes and a black stripe down the middle of the abdomen. As they mature, males develop a white pruinescence on the top of the thorax and at the base of the abdomen, while the rest of the abdomen turns black. Females become almost uniformly dark brown, with a dusting of gray pruinescence near the base of the abdomen; a few develop the same color pattern as the males.

Chalk-fronted corporals often perch horizontally on the ground or on floating objects in the water as you can see it doing here. They are gregarious for dragonflies and are commonly seen perching in groups. They readily approach humans to feed on the mosquitoes and biting flies that humans attract.

We noticed a large patch of buttercups growing in a sunny patch along the trail. Petals of these buttercups are highly lustrous owing to a special coloration mechanism: the petal’s upper surface is very smooth causing a mirror-like reflection. The flash aids in attracting pollinating insects and temperature regulation of the flower’s reproductive organs.

Click me for “Celestial Geese with two haiku by Issa”.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Hepatica acutiloba

Old Leaves

MichaelStephenWills

This Hepatica acutiloba, the sharp-lobed hepatica, I found in Fillmore Glen last April, capturing them with the Apple Iphone 14 proMax.

Hepatica acutiloba is also known as sharp-lobed hepatica, liverwort, kidneywort, pennywort, liverleaf. The perennial nature of this plant is seen here in the purplish leaves hanging below, from a previous year’s growth.

The word hepatica derives from the Greek ἡπατικός hēpatikós, from ἧπαρ hêpar ‘liver’, because its three-lobed leaf blotched leaves resemble a diseased human liver.

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Plants of genus Hepatica are native to Europe, Asia, and North America.

Europe: Albania, Austria, the Baltic states, Belarus, Bulgaria, Corsica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Yugoslavia

Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Western Siberia

Eastern Asia: North China, South Central China, East China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Primorsky Krai

South Asia: Pakistan, Western Himalaya

Canada: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Plants of the genus have been introduced to Belgium.

These tufted perennials grow to 10 centimeters in height with wiry roots.  Leaves usually three-lobed and untoothed.  Flowers can be blue, pinkish, or white.  Three sepals, small and green.  Petals usually 5, can be more, without a nectary.  Stamens numerous.  Ovary superior; styles short with capitate stigmas.  Pollination is by insects.  Fruits many, one-seeded.  Seeds are green when ripe. dispersed by ants.  

References:
Wikipedia, “Hepatica”
“The Botanical Garden, Vol II” by Roger Phillips and Marytn Rix, Firefly Books, 2002

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills