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Coweeta Hydrologic Lab: 2018-4 August-September 2018 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
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Coweeta Hydrologic Lab: 2018-4 August-September 2018 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
| In late August of 2017, Don H. and I were alerted about an orchid observed in an area we had barely explored. The plant was in seed when seen, so we made a note to go looking for it in early August 2018. We almost forgot about it, but I found the reminder in an old message thread. We were lucky to find the plant, but although we looked all around, there was just the one. It turned out to be a Green Adder's Mouth Orchid, a first encounter for me in the wild. We also found some other cool stuff... Late August 2018: |
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| Three Birds Orchid (Triphora trianthophoros) We were a day late for the 3rd bloom cycle of the year here, but after last week's extravaganza, we couldn't complain. |
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| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) on Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) |
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| Yellow Fringed Orchids (Platanthera ciliaris) were on their way out, but a few nice ones remained. |
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| Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) |
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| Our orchid informant didn't know what species he had seen a year ago, so we weren't exactly sure what we were looking for. But we found it: A single Green Adder's Mouth Orchid (Malaxis unifolia). |
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| Flower detail The plant was a little past its prime, but still had fresh flowers on top (the flowers open from bottom to top). |
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| One of the coral fungi, amidst moss and lichens. |
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| Southern Harebells (Campanula divaricata) |
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| Rock Harlequin (Capnoides sempervirens) has been blooming since early spring; still a few with flowers. |
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| Starry Campion (Silene stellata) Almost perfect flowers. With a few buggy photo-bombers... |
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| Maple Leaf Arum Root (Heuchera villosa) |
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| One of the Russula mushrooms... |
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| Group of Puffballs |
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| Xeromphalina species |
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| Timber Rattler (Crotalus horridus), in the usual spot that I encounter them, the middle of a FS road... |
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| This was about the smallest timber rattler I've seen, although it had 10 rattles, so it wasn't a youngster. |
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| Early September 2018 - a new orchid: |
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| October Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes ovalis var. erostellata) |
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| Don and Karen H. had encountered a few of these orchids the previous Friday. I'd never photographed this species, so I visited two days later to take a look. |
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| These examples were fairly small compared with typical specimens of this species. |
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| The individual flowers rarely open as widely as these ones. (Coincidentally, I found a population of these orchids at our home the next day!) |
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| Unidentified mushroom pair |
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| Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) |
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| Tree Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) |
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| Three Birds Orchids buds I checked the TBO population and was surprised to see these upright buds, indicating that there would be yet another bloom (the 5th, possibly 6th, of the year!) the following day. Unfortunately I would not be there to see it, and the population at our place had bloomed out for the season. |