Late May in an Indiana Circumneutral Seep

Just a few shots from a rich circumneutral seep in Cass County, Indiana on 22 May 2013...

 

Circumneutral seep

Phlox maculata

Phlox maculata

Ranunculus hispidus var. nitidus

Saxifraga pensylvanica

Saxifraga pensylvanica

Green in Winter: Cursed Buttercup

This is probably Ranunculus sceleratus, fully green in a frozen woodland pond at Potato Creek State Park. In getting this picture, I stepped on a small log in the shallow pond. The log broke, and I went into the icy muck up to my knees. Fortunately the camera and tripod stayed upright on the ice. I was reminded of the time Scott Namestnik and I were botanizing a frozen, degraded wetland near South Bend, Indiana. Scott went through the ice and overtopped his boots, but by the time I got my camera ready, he had climbed out. I tried to talk him into getting back in for a picture, but he wouldn't cooperate!   

Ranunculus bulbosus, Bulbous Buttercup

Three cheers for DenPro! On March 22 I posted this photo of a vegetative plant I didn't recognize, hoping someone would be able to name it. To me it looked like Artemisia, and there were a lot of suggestions in different families and genera. DenPro suggested some kind of Ranunculus, and today I discovered he was right!

Good call - it is Ranunculus bulbosus, not recorded from the 11,000 square mile Chicago Region since the days of Julius Nieuwland! Discovered in disturbed, gravelly clay waste ground at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, South Bend, Indiana. Note the white clover in the upper right corner for scale. This plant has not been mowed.

Finding something new is always fun, even if it's a weed. For the rest of the day's botanizing trip I was champing at the bit to get home to my books and microscope!

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." Eeyore

Plant Quiz Solved - Ranunculus testiculatus!

Good call, Mary. It is Ranunculus testiculatus, also known as Ceratocephalus testiculatus, Bur Buttercup. In the eastern U.S. it grows almost exclusively in campgrounds. It is new to Gray's Manual of Botany by M. L. Fernald.

This plant is unusual in that each pistil is scrotiform (that's a botanical term) at the base, having twin protuberances that look like testicles. Hence the specific epithet testiculatus, and the unofficial common name, Ballswort! It is not, however, related to Nut Rush or Nut Sedge.

Plant Quiz Solved! Ranunculus fascicularis, Early Buttercup

Good call, Phytophactor and Scott. It is "ranunculaceous," and Scott is correct, it is Ranunculus fascicularis. This plant is especially at home on dry, sloping clay soil under a thin growth of oak and hickory. The specific epithet "fascicularis" refers to something being "bunched." The other day I saw this plant with its fascicled (or bunched) roots exposed from erosion. Amazing!

This plant always interests me with its change in appearance as it develops. Below are photos from last year showing how the petioles elongate and the plant thins out as the season progresses.

January Botany + Plant Quiz

Of course, working on tree bud and bark identification this time of year is fun and all, but it still makes me want a little green. So I decided to see what was green and herbaceous at my local (Central Indiana) woods. Here is a selection of eight that I found. Some of these plants I am pretty sure of, some I think I know, and some I have no clue and would appreciate any help. (Although time should tell.)

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Plant Quiz

Well, I could say that this is a plant quiz, but I really am just confused. I would appreciate any help. This is from a mitigation wetland in Central Indiana (Madison County), but I don't think it was seeded. I have been watching it all winter and waiting for it to bloom. It only grows in standing water, although I don't think it fits the definition of true aquatic, since it doesn't have any thin leaves and does emerge from the water. In the winter, it would be in 6" deep water and have basal leaves that float to the surface. You can see some of the basal leaves in one of the pictures. Now it is blooming. The petals are tiny (<6mm) I have assumed it is a buttercup, but I can't get anything to fit.