One Week Later...

 During the last week, we've had rain, snow, sunshine, warm temperatures, and cold temperatures.  In other words, typical for late March in Kentucky.  The spring wildflower season is progressing too. 

 Last time, we looked at the Yellow Trout Lily.  Now the Beaked Trout Lily is blooming. It's similar to the Yellow, but notice how all the petals do not "recurve," that is, curl back up over the blossom.

 Bloodroot is about finished blooming.  You may see the leaves, with a small seed pod where the blossom had been during its short time with us.

Dutchman's Breeches grow atop feathery leaves in the brown leaf mulch. Squirrel Corn is a look-alike, often confused with Dutchman's Breeches, but Squirrel Corn has a tall vertical stalk and spurs that are more rounded, appearing somewhat heart-shaped.

Tavia:  This plant gets its common name from the flowers, which resemble the baggy pants worn by "Dutchmen" hanging upside down on an arching clothesline. Some Native American tribes used this species as a love charm, saying that if the root was nibbled by a man, his breath would attract a woman, even against her will.

When looking for wildflowers, it's important to get down on your knees to appreciate the intricate and delicate structure of many blossoms. Several species will often grow close together, and you can't tell which bloom goes with which leaf without bending down to trace the flower's stem into it's leaf structure. A "weed" is just a wildflower growing where some human might not want it, but they are just as beautiful as any rare blossom. The small flower in the center of this photo is Henbit, a member of the mint family, and is seen in open areas, lawns, fields, and waste places.

Not all Violets are actually violet in color.  Today I found some lovely Yellow Violets.  The stripes remind me of faces, although it's more likely that they guide pollinators to the nectar.

Tavia:  The flowers and leaves of Violets are very high in vitamins A and C.  Pound for pound, violet blossoms are said to contain more vitamin C than oranges!  They are also wonderful to eat raw or in salads or to decorate a cake.

Yes, I get carried away, or maybe I should be carried away sometimes, but do you see the ballerina in this Trillium, wearing a long green skirt, and reaching above her head with purple arms?

Spring Beauties carpet the forest floor, yet from a distance they disappear altogether.  Again, walk slowly, looking both down into the valleys and up along with hillsides to see their small blooms with pink stripes.

Virginia Bluebell is starting to come out now. As the buds emerge, they look purple, then change to blue as they open. They can be found in moist or wet woods, meadows, bottomlands and thickets, often forming spectacular colonies.

Tavia:  The stems of this species are nearly hollow, making the plant somewhat fragile.  After flowering, the foliage turns yellow and the entire plant will seem to disappear, going dormant until the following spring.

Last week I said the Twinleaf was just beginning to bloom.  Well, this week, the Twinleaf is just about finished, and I missed most of it. :(  Spring emphemerals are like that.

This part of Kentucky is situated on limestone, which is a very permeable kind of rock.  It can be dissolved by acidic water, which is how Mammoth Cave was formed over many millions of years.  In our area, this means that small caves and sinkholes can be found.  Often, a creek will flow swiftly downstream, delighting the ear with its chuckles, and then a few feet later, the creek bed is completely dry. 

If you walk a little way upstream or downstream, listen for the sound of running water.  When you hear it, you will probably find the stream bursting forth from the limestone, where it simply disappeared to run underground for a while. Kentuckians used to call these small streams "branches", and we have a road named "Wolf Pen Branch Road" not far from the Nature Preserve.  Can you imagine some early settler trapping wolves near the creek?  And some folks may still request Bourbon and Branch from their favorite bartender, to indicate they'd like water with their whiskey.

Naturally yours,

~denapple

Early Spring Wildflowers

Early spring flowers are often called ephemerals because they bloom for such a short time. The Bloodroot is a great example of this, since the blossoms will last only one day. It is so exciting to find them growing in the otherwise bare woods though, that I can't stop taking photos of them.  Get ready...this post is longer than most, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed finding these flowers! Remember, you can click any photo to see a larger version.

When the shoots push through the soil, the Bloodroot leaf gently curls around the bud, protecting it until it opens entirely. While we haven't found any Bloodroot currently growing in the forest at the Nature Preserve, we will add it to the new Woodland Fern Garden.

Tavia Says:
The Bloodroot rhizome oozes an orange-red juice or sap when cut.  Native Americans used the juice as body paint, lending the name Indian Paint. The rhizomes contain the alkaloid "sanguinaire," an antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory ingredient that is used in toothpastes and mouthwashes to help reduce dental plaque and gingivitis.  Research indicates that it may also offer protection against skin cancer, however, the plant can be toxic even in small doses.

Another early spring flower that will be grown in the Woodland Fern Garden is Wild Ginger with its heart shaped leaves. The rhizomes of this plant have the taste and smell of true ginger.  The flowers are small, and grow upon the ground, so they are easily missed by the casual view.

Tavia Says:
These flowers are pollinated by crawling and flying insects, such as ants, beetles, and flies.  The blossom is the color and smell of raw meat, which attracts these meat eating insects. Native Americans used the rhizomes to flavor meat and fish dishes, and to make a tea for relieving many ailments, including indigestion, coughs, heart conditions, cramps, fevers, colds, and sore throats.

Sessile Trillium can be easily found along the banks of Little Huckleberry Creek. Trilliums do everything in threes - three leaves, and three petals on the blossoms. There are many kinds of Trilliums in other locations, but this is the only one we have at the Nature Preserve.  If you find a different species, however, please let us know!  The Sessile Trillium's flower has no stem, and sits directly on the leaf junction. If you kneel down to smell the flower, it should have a strong carrion odor.

Tavia Says:
It is said that the scent resembles that of raw beef, which explains one of its common names, "Bloody Butchers." The aroma has also been described as that of dead animal tissue and helps attract flies and beetles, which pollinate the plant. (And here I thought bees pollinated flowers! ~denapple)

Cutleaf Toothwort is another early bloomer at the Nature Preserve. By next week, the hillside above Little Huckleberry Creek should be covered with them.

Tavia Says:
The rhizome and leaves of this plant are peppery tasting. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, like other mustard greens. Native Americans made a poultice from the root and used it to treat headaches.

One of my favorite spring wildflowers is the Yellow Trout Lily, of which we have an abundance at the Nature Preserve.  An abundance of leaves that is. The name "Trout Lily" refers to the speckling on the leaves so it resembles a trout.

The Trout Lilies growing near each other are all clones - genetically the same and growing from one root system.  They fill a hillside with small leaves, but only about 10% of those will actually blossom.

Watch for the "recurved" tepals (or petals) which turn up, distinguishing this from the Beaked Trout Lily, for example. 

Tavia Says:

Trout Lilies have been called "living phosphorus sinks," because their roots retrieve phosphorus from the soil and transfer it to the leaves, making it available to herbivores, such as deer.  The leaves and roots are edible to humans as well, but may cause an allergic reaction. 

Mayapples look like little green umbrellas as they poke up into the sunshine. A plant with one large leaf is a male, while two leaves indicate a female plant that can bear fruit. Mayapples bear a dangling "apple" later in the spring, just at the right height for Box Turtles to eat. A cluster of Mayapples are colonial, in that they have different DNA, unlike the Trout Lily.

Tavia Says:

Other common names for this species include Maypop, Devil's Apple, Duck's Foot, and Hog Apple.  Although the ripe fruit can be used to make jelly and preserves, the leaves and rootstocks are poisonous.  Etopside, which is prepared from the roots, has been used to treat small-cell carcinoma.

The leaves on a Twinleaf come in (you guessed it...) pairs.  I think they resemble kidneys.  The leaves will be small while the white flower blooms (with eight petals), then the leaves will grow larger when the bloom ceases.

Tavia Says:
The Latin name for this plant is Jeffersonia diphylla, and it was named for Thomas Jefferson by the American botanist William Bartram.  Other common names include Ground Squirrel Pea, Helmet Pod, Rheumatism Roots, and Yellow Root.

There are two kinds of Rue Anenome.  The "true" Rue has 5-10 showy sepals...

...while the False Rue has only five sepals or petals.  The leaves look very much the same.  The blossoms bob in the lightest wind, so be sure to bump up your shutter speed if taking photos of them.  The same hillside with the Toothworts and Twinleaf will also have lots of Rue Anemones.

Did you know that our own Tavia Cathcart is the co-author of a wildflower field guide?  Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians is a long title, but a wonderful resource about wildflowers no matter what time of year they bloom.  Each entry is full of historical references to the flowers as well as their descriptions and wonderful photos.  The book can be found anywhere online, or at the Nature Preserve.  Come to our next event (Wildflower Open House Saturday on April 16) to get a signed copy.

Naturally yours,

~denapple

Smooth Snakes

Pygmy Rattle Snake

People have only two reactions when it comes to snakes.  Either they fear them or love them.  Tavia received responses from many people about our Slithering Snakes Open House today saying they were afraid of snakes and would not attend.  I imagine they expect snakes to be giant, poisonous, slimy creatures, much like something you would see in a horror movie. I think snakes have hissss-torically been given a bum rap.

Common Garter Snake

This is probably the best attended Open House we've every had, so there must be just as many people who are fascinated by snakes. We tried to convince everyone that we would only have friendly snakes from our expert at Salato Wildlife Center, much like this little smiling Common Garter snake. Snakes have fascinated me since I held one as a child and felt the smooth skin and muscles squeezing my finger.

Black Rat Snake

 I worked hard to get photos of the snakes with their tongues out.  The tongues sample scents (chemicals) in the air, transferring them to an organ in the roof of the snake's mouth, so the brain can analyze and identify what's around for lunch.

Corn Snake

 Some tongues are black, but others are RED, a real surprise to me!

Common Garter Snake

The biologists from Salato brought five non-venomous Kentucky snakes, and we had a Common Garter snake caught on the preserve.  Look at this post from another blog about Garter Snake mating!  Whoo-hoo!  The program was wonderful - full of information about these reptiles.  For example, did you know that lizards have closeable eyelides, while snakes do not? We were all impressed at the knowledge the kids already had about snakes, without any prompting from adults at all. Jamie let them touch the snakes - an important thing to help anyone really learn and get enthused about nature.

Black Kingsnake

Most folks probably know that snakes eat mice and rats.  This makes them an ally to Kentucky farmers.  However, this Black Kingsnake also eats poisonous snakes, being immune to the venom of Kentucky's pit vipers.  We learned that poisonous snakes have vertical pupils in their eyes, while the non-venomous snakes have round pupils.  Take a look at the photo of the Pygmy Rattler at the top to see this.  (By the way, that snake was stuffed and mounted, not alive, even though it still looks pretty scary.) 

Black Kingsnake

 I was fascinated by the different patterns on the bellies of these snakes too, which we wouldn't normally see on a wild snake. What possible role could this play in the survival of these animals?

Northern Pine Snake

This Northern Pine snake burrows underground in piney areas, and it's not very common in Kentucky.  Jamie woke it up to come to the program and it was not happy, so he got bit.  Even though a snake is non-venomous, it still has teeth and will bite if annoyed or frightened.  All the kids knew to look at them and leave them alone if a snake is ever found in the wild.

Northern Pine Snake

The Pine Snake's upper skin is rough, but the bottom felt as smooth as shoe leather.  The more senses we can use in observing nature, the more fascinating we find it.

Rough Green Snake

This slender Rough Green snake lives in trees, where it blends so well with the leaves that sometimes crickets will land right on its back - certain death for the cricket.  This one is not as big around as a pencil. The education snakes were accustomed to their carrying crates, and seemed to be interested in looking out the windows to see what was happening.   

We walked down to the frog pond to release the Common Garter snake.  He (yes, we determined his gender, which you can tell by looking at the scales on the underside) eats frogs and tadpoles, so this will be a good habitat.  All the kids enjoyed the walk, and understood the importance of returning wild creatures to the wild. 

Here are some snake riddles:

Q:  What subject are snakes good at in school?

A:   Hissss-tory!

Q:   What kind of snake is good at math?

A:   An Adder!

Q:   What do snakes do after they fight?

A:   Hiss and make up!

If you have never been to Salato, do make the trip to Frankfort some sunny day.  In addition to snakes, they have bison, elk, bobcats, bear, and may other animals from Kentucky, as well as a wildflower garden of Kentucky natives.  I promise, you will have a terrific time!

Naturally yours,

~denapple

The Sunny Side of the Creek

As the warm sun calls you to walk in the forest, look carefully in the leaves along the trail.  Those leaves make a brown blanket for all the spring wildflowers helping them survive through the winter. As the sun shines through the bare tree branches, these flowers sprout and bloom as soon as they can. When the trees start to leaf out there won't be enough sun for these small flowers, so they must take advantage of the sun while they can.  One of the first to bloom is the aptly named Harbinger of Spring.  If you don't watch for it, you will miss it altogether.  Look at these small white blooms, and compare them to the size of the dead leaves in the background.  

When you bend down to look closely, however, the delicate grace of this flower is evident.

That's the way nature is.  Some creature or plant may be small and easily overlooked, but worth the effort of taking notice.  Yes, the knees of your jeans will get a little dirty and wet, but they can always be washed, right? Click on any of these photos for a larger version.

Where are the best places to find wildflowers at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve?  In the early spring, go down along Little Huckleberry Creek and look along the water and the hillside above the creek. Then cross the bridge to the Hidden Spring trail, and look in the valley and along the rocky cliffs on the other side of that creek.  In the next few weeks, these hillsides will be full of the early blooming flowers. We will have two kinds of Rue Anemone, False and True.  Do you know how to tell the difference?  When they start to bloom, we'll give you some pointers.  (Confession:  I've had it wrong for years!)

Pay particular attention to the position of the sun on the valley.  The sunny side of the valley warms faster, and the flowers will bloom there before they bloom on the shady side of the creek.  I saw plenty of Toothwort sprouts along Little Huckleberry Creek, but no blossoms.  This early, I didn't really expect any. Notice how the leaves look like crow's feet - very "toothy." 

But along the limestone cliffs at Hidden Springs, the Toothworts have begun to blossom.  In a while the hillsides will be full of them.

Little Huckleberry Creek is also a great habitat for Trout Lilies and Sessile Trillium.  Both are sprouting, but you have to look closely.  The Trillium has three leaves, but when they poke through the ground, they are wrapped around each other, and will open wider.

 

Both the Sessile Trillium and Trout Lily have variegated leaves - that is green with splotches of brown or darker green. The Trout Lily grows only one small leaf at a time.  Again, comparing them to the dried leaves gives an idea of their small size.

There are many kinds of Trillium, as you see in all wildflower field guides, but the Sessile Trillium blossom is attached to the leaves, nestling among them, while others will nod down on a stem of their own.

As your walk progresses, you see lots of vines that look like the roses in your yard.  Well, they are roses, but a wild Multiflora Rose.  Unfortunately, these are invasive and can take over quickly.  Watch out for they will grab your shirt or skin before you even know they are there.  

The shady side of the creek may have a green fern growing down the bank.  Isn't it a little early for ferns?  This is the Christmas Fern that does not die back in the fall as other ferns do.  It remains visible and starts to green up again as soon as the whether begins to warm.

Finally, we found this on our walk.  Not a rock, nor a stick, nor a flower of any sort.  You guessed it..this is dog poo.  Creasey Mahan is pet friendly to friendly pets, and I'm sure no one wants to step into a pile like this.  So please clean up after you dogs, so all of us can enjoy our walks in the forest!

Naturally yours,

~denapple

Welcome Inquirers

As you may know if you follow my blog, Life Birding Photos and Everything, I have a wonderful time volunteering at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve, in Goshen, KY, not too far from Louisville. Following the natural flow of the seasons and observing all of nature, not just birds, makes my spirit soar.

Today Tavia Cathcart, Executive Director of the Nature Preserve, suggested that we start a nature blog for the Preserve, and I agreed! She's a wonderful writer and photographer herself, so the two of us will post as nature inspires us.

Sometimes we may just post photos, and let you be wordlessly awed. Sometimes we may wax poetic, or become philosophical. Something new always encourages us to research and we will share our inquiries with you. Just wait until the wildflowers start to bloom! Tavia knows all the stories and folklore that go with them and you will love it!

The white tail deer on the preserve come out occasionally to visit, or just to graze in the early mornings, or late afternoons. They aren't at all afraid of Mike, our Grounds Manager, but they know to head for the woods when dogs come down the trail. If you have a story about your visit to Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve, please share it with us. We Natural Inquirers need to spread the word and have more people learn to love nature as we do!

Naturally Yours,
~denapple