Browsed by
Author: Elise

Jingle Shell (Anomia simplex)

Jingle Shell (Anomia simplex)

Clams, quahogs, oysters and mussels are probably the most well known bivalves, mollusks with two hinged shells, but there are many others. Another example is the jingle shell (Anomia simplex). Interestingly, despite having two hinged shells, it is often only the top shell that is found washed up on the beach. The bottom shell is less frequently discovered because it often remains attached to whatever substrate the animal was growing on.  The upper shell is convex and is movable during…

Read More Read More

White poplar (Populus alba)

White poplar (Populus alba)

The genus Populus includes poplars, as well as aspens and cottonwoods. While there are a number of native poplars in Massachusetts, others, such as the white poplar (Populus alba), have been introduced from elsewhere in the world. Although it has not spread to nuisance levels in Massachusetts, some states, including Connecticut, have placed white poplar on their invasive species list.  Superficially, many poplars resemble each other. But white populars can be easily distinguished from other related species. The most obvious…

Read More Read More

Rough Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)

Rough Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)

After finishing my hike up and over Mount Greylock, I came upon a large stand of rough horsetails (Equisetum hyemale) at the base of the mountain, at the edge of a boggy, wetland area. These plants are primarily found in riparian zones, around springs and seeps, in wet forests or other wetland areas. The rough horsetail has 2- to 3-foot tall vertical jointed hollow reed-like green stalks. Each node, or joint, along the stalk is marked by a ring of…

Read More Read More

Crane Fly (Tipulidae)

Crane Fly (Tipulidae)

My favorite crane fly memory (I mean, who doesn’t have one of those?) was from graduate school: I was in my bedroom upstairs when all of a sudden my two housemates started screaming in the living room downstairs. I came running down to find them pointing up at a corner in fear, and one of them exclaiming, “That’s the biggest mosquito I’ve ever seen! Just think of the size of the bug bite you would get from that!” To their…

Read More Read More

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

With the start of October comes our slow turning towards the cold season. My yard is peppered with acorns, leaves are starting to yellow, and many wildflowers are noticeable now more for their striking seed pods than their colorful blooms. One of my favorites (is it weird to have favorite seed pods?) are the seed pods of the milkweed genus (Asclepias).  One of our common native milkweeds is butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), also known as orange milkweed. Where it is…

Read More Read More

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) can be distinguished from other local frogs by their dark “mask” extending back from each of their eyes. The rest of their body can vary from light tan to reddish brown; in fact, a single individual can vary their coloring seasonally. While other species, like the green frog, are often found in close proximity to water year round, wood frogs are rarely seen in association with water other than during the spring breeding season when they…

Read More Read More

American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) Caterpillar

American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) Caterpillar

American dagger moths (Acronicta americana) are a fairly nondescript gray moth, perfect for camouflaging itself against mottled tree trunks during the day (see this BugGuide link for pictures of adult American dagger moths). The caterpillar of the species, on the other hand, is one of the fluffiest larval lepidopterans I’ve ever encountered. It is covered in dense hairs, called setae, which are yellow in younger instars and turn white as the caterpillar ages. There are also longer pairs of black…

Read More Read More

Wildflower Wednesday: Bull Thistle

Wildflower Wednesday: Bull Thistle

As a group of plants, thistles are well known for their spiny leaves and large pinkish purple flower heads. Most species are biennials, producing only a basal rosette of leaves in their first year. The characteristic flowering stalks are not produced until the plant’s second year. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), although native to much of Europe, has naturalized across much of North America.  It is a large thistle generally found in fields and waste places. It can grow 3 to…

Read More Read More

Wild Edible: Staghorn Sumac

Wild Edible: Staghorn Sumac

The name “sumac” often evokes thoughts of poison sumac and general itchiness. But poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) is actually more closely related to poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) than staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) despite the shared common name.  Staghorn sumac can be differentiated from poison sumac through a variety of characteristics. Both can grow fairly tall (~20 feet) and have pointy, alternate, compound leaves, however, they have very different habitat needs. You’ve most certainly seen large stands of staghorn sumac with…

Read More Read More

Marsh elder (Iva frutescens)

Marsh elder (Iva frutescens)

When asked to picture a New England salt marsh, most people would likely think of large expanses of salt marsh grass, such as smooth cord grass  (Spartina alterniflora) and salt marsh hay (Spartina patens). However, at the upper edge of most marshes, where only the highest high tides reach, is a thin strip of short shrubs, dominated by marsh elder (Iva frutescens) and/or eastern baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia). In fact, due to its placement on the landscape, marsh elder is also…

Read More Read More