Browsed by
Author: Elise

Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora), also known as ghost plant or corpse plant due to its uniquely white color, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate North America. These single-stalked plants often grow in clusters and can extend up to 12 inches high. Each waxy stem is covered in small scale-like leaves and has one white five-parted flower at the end. Flowering occurs between June and October, and indian pipes are a common sight throughout oak and pine forests on…

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Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Section Hike

Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Section Hike

I’ve always toyed with the idea of someday hiking the entire 2,185-mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.) as a thru-hike, but life, a job and various other responsibilities have accumulated such that taking off for the required ~6 months to complete the trek no longer seemed feasible. However, it occurred to me this year that I could still hike the A.T. – I just needed to do it in pieces, referred to as section-hiking. Given that I live on Cape Cod, the…

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Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

We are now entering my favorite time of year: berry season. While exploring the Mineral Hills Conservation Area in Northampton, MA this weekend, I noticed ripe black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) for the first time this year.  While I enjoy red raspberries and blackberries as well, black raspberries are undoubtedly my favorite.  So this was quite the treat for me. Wild raspberries are generally smaller and sweeter than the cultivated varieties.  Mature, ripe raspberries will readily separate from their white-coned hulls,…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Pickerelweed

Wildflower Wednesday: Pickerelweed

While kayaking yesterday in Coonamessett Pond in Falmouth, I encountered a number of patches of flowering pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata).  Pickerelweed is a common emergent plant in freshwater marshes, and along the edges of ponds, lakes and streams.  It has 4-10 inch long heart-shaped basal leaves extending above the water’s surface on long stalks, and spikes of small purple flowers. Each individual flower, approximately a 1/2 inch wide when fully open, has a three-lobed upper petal with two yellow spots in…

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Wild edible: Common Milkweed

Wild edible: Common Milkweed

Despite the white, latex-like sap, from which their name derives, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a delicious wild edible. Found in fields, along roadsides and other open areas, common milkweed is native to almost all of New England.  It typically grows 3 to 4 feet tall, on stout straight stems, with thick, broad, opposite leaves and is topped with round, slightly drooping clusters of pinkish-purple flowers. Before the flower buds bloom, they somewhat resemble pinkish-green heads of broccoli. In bloom,…

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American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

While adult American Robins (Turdus migratorius) may be a common sight, their nests are often tucked away in thickets and hard to access areas. Today, however, while performing a wetland delineation for work, I stumbled across this nest. The female robin chooses the nest site and is primarily responsible for building the nest itself, although males will help to collect nest materials.  Nests are typically situated on one or more horizontal branches hidden in or just below a layer of…

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White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)

White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)

While hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains this weekend, I explored half a dozen waterfalls. These ranged from the 10 foot high Lower Falls of the Swift River along the Kancamagus Highway to larger falls, such as  Winneweta Falls (40 feet) and Arethusa Falls (176 ft – the highest single drop waterfall in New Hampshire). At each location, in addition to the beauty of the falls themselves, I was surprised and delighted by the number of butterflies flitting about. The…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Whorled loosestrife

Wildflower Wednesday: Whorled loosestrife

In honor of the summer solstice, I thought I’d highlight a sunny yellow flower:  the yellow whorled loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia) are blooming seemingly everywhere right now. Whorled loosestrife is native to much of eastern North America, and can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from woodlands to dry fields to roadsides. In the last few days, I’ve seen them along forested trails in Bourne and Falmouth, as well as along the side of my driveway. Yellow whorled loosestrife….

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Princess Pine (Lycopodium obscurum)

Princess Pine (Lycopodium obscurum)

Like the Canada mayflower and star flower described in a recent post, Princess pine (Lycopodium obscurum) is another common forest understory plant in Bourne’s forests. Also called flat-branched tree-clubmoss or ground pine, Princess pine is a North American species of clubmoss. The names “clubmoss” and “ground pine”, however, confuse L. obscurum’s  position in the plant world, being neither moss nor a low-growing conifer.  They are instead more closely related to horsetails and ferns.  Princess pines do, however, have the appearance…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Pink Lady Slipper

Wildflower Wednesday: Pink Lady Slipper

The Pink Lady Slipper (Cypripedium acaule), sometimes called the Moccasin Flower, is one of the largest native orchids in eastern North America, and is fairly common in the woodlands in Bourne. In fact, I have some growing at the wooded periphery of my yard. Each Pink Lady Slipper plant has two basal leaves with conspicuous parallel veins and a center stalk with a single hanging bulbous pink slipper-like flower. The pouch formed by the flower’s petals is actually an ingenious…

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