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Category: Plants

Tawny Cotton Grass (Eriophorum virginicum)

Tawny Cotton Grass (Eriophorum virginicum)

Looking like less-colorful miniature versions of Dr. Seuss’ truffula trees, tawny cotton grass (Eriophorum virginicum) is an obligate wetland plant found in bogs, fens and wet meadows throughout New England. The fluffy “cotton” puff-ball tops of this plant are actually the modified sepals and petals of minute flowers. The tawny-colored silky hairs that give cotton grass its distinctive look continue to elongate as the seeds mature, aiding in wind dispersal of the seeds (similar to the parachute-like seeds of a…

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American Toad
Gratitude: 10 Nature-Related Things I’m Thankful For

Gratitude: 10 Nature-Related Things I’m Thankful For

2020 has been hard for everyone. From canceled activities to isolation from friends and family, to record setting hurricane and fire seasons across the country. Despite all of this year’s COVID-, environmental- and political-craziness, there are still many things I am thankful for. In addition to the Thanksgiving toad I came across on my rainy walk this morning (see cover photo above), below are just ten of the nature-related things I’m grateful for this year.  1. Abundant and beautiful local…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Marsh St. Johnswort

Wildflower Wednesday: Marsh St. Johnswort

Mid-fall brings an end to most blooming flowers, with the exception of the hardiest asters and goldenrods. But it doesn’t bring an end to identification and study of these plants. Many herbaceous wildflowers retain identifiable aerial parts, such as distinctive seed heads, that allow reliable plant ID well past the last flowers.  Marsh St. Johnswort (Hypericum virginicum) is no exception. Growing to approximately 2 feet tall, marsh St. Johnswort typically blooms in July and August. But due to persistent seed…

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But aren’t pine trees evergreen?

But aren’t pine trees evergreen?

Fall comes with the expectation, and often hopeful anticipation, that the leaves on deciduous trees, such as sassafras, white oak, and American beech, will transition to a beautiful array of yellows, oranges and reds before being shed for the season. But pine trees, including our local pitch pines (Pinus rigida) and white pines (Pinus strobus), retain their needles throughout the year. This quality led to the use of the term “evergreen” to describe these trees.  But if pine trees are…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Perennial Salt Marsh Aster

Wildflower Wednesday: Perennial Salt Marsh Aster

When most people think of salt marshes, they probably picture large expanses of nothing but grass. For those with a little more familiarity with marshes, you may go so far as to picture the common species of salt marsh plants, including smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), salt marsh hay (Spartina patens) or common glasswort (Salicornia maritima). But if you look closely, you may also find other interesting plants mixed in. This is what happened to me on a recent walk out…

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7 Reasons Not to Hate Poison Ivy

7 Reasons Not to Hate Poison Ivy

Given the horribly itchy rash that poison ivy can cause, it’s no wonder that this plant is loathed by many. I, too, have experienced the severe discomfort an encounter with poison ivy can bring, but I certainly don’t hate it. It would be more accurate to say that I respect poison ivy. Although poison ivy often gets a bad rap, and I may not be able to convince you to actually like it, here are seven reasons not to hate…

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When Plants Bite Back – Spoon-leaved Sundew

When Plants Bite Back – Spoon-leaved Sundew

This weekend I spent some time in an abandoned cranberry bog – although it has not been actively cultivated for years, it still produces a decent amount of cranberries. With no one to weed the bog, however, the plant diversity has increased substantially. There are now sapling trees (e.g., gray birch, pitch pine), ladies’ tresses orchids (Spiranthes sp.), and a variety of aster and goldenrod species. With all this additional growth, and without a functional water control system, rather than…

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Wildflower Wednesday: Sickle-leaved Silk Grass

Wildflower Wednesday: Sickle-leaved Silk Grass

Many plants within the aster family are in full bloom in September, long after many other flowers have faded away. Goldenrods are in bloom, bright purple asters, like the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) are flowering, and seemingly everywhere I walk, I encounter the sunny yellow flowers of sickle-leaved silk grass (Pityopsis falcata).  Sickle-leaved silk grass, also known as sickle-leaved golden aster, has a highly restricted range and is only found on the sandy glacial deposits along the coastal plain…

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Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)

Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)

Next time you’re out for a walk, whether in the forest or along your street, see if you can spot some of these colorful fruits. They belong to an invasive, perennial, semi-woody vine called bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara). Bittersweet nightshade originated in Eurasia, but is now common throughout much of the United States. It is common in disturbed habitats, forested edges, and along stream banks and wetland margins. This plant’s unique leaf shape, which is deeply divided into almost three…

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Common liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha)

Common liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha)

Most people have at least a passing acquaintance with mosses and lichens, but what about liverworts. What is a liverwort anyway? Liverworts are a group of primitive, nonvascular plants containing only one or a few layers of cells, and tend to grow in thin, flat sheets. Liverworts are found only in moist environments due to their lack of vascular tissue (i.e., xylem and phloem) and their inability to store water. This means if you’re interested in finding one, you should…

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