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Buck Creek Barrens Late Summer / Early Fall 2024 Botanizing |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2024) |
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Buck Creek Barrens Late Summer / Early Fall 2024 Botanizing |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2024) |
| 1 - Sept 13, 2024 West side of Buck Creek. I made my way up to the Barrens to catch the first of what I call the "fall wildflower season". The hogs have gotten bad up there in the past few years. |
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| Canada Burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis) |
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| Curtiss' Milkwort, aka Appalachian Milkwort (Senega curtissii, formerly Polygala) |
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| Bigleaf Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia grandifolia) |
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| P. grandifolia is the less common of our two mountain Parnassus species. |
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| Bigleaf Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia grandifolia) |
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| Trentepohlia aurea, a species of filamentous terrestrial green alga. I first found the rocks on which this grows back in 2018, and visit it every fall, because I think the color is so cool! |
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| Serpentine rock |
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| Evidence of hog rooting abounded... |
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| Soapwort Gentian (Gentiana saponaria) |
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| Soapwort Gentian (Gentiana saponaria) |
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| Soapwort Gentian (Gentiana saponaria) |
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| Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), well past its prime... |
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| More Chicken of the Woods on the other side of the tree. |
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| White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) |
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| Slender Gerardia (Agalinis tenuifolia) |
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| Slender Gerardia (Agalinis tenuifolia) with a bug. I believe the insect is a Spinach Flea Beetle (Disonycha xanthomelas). |
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| Goldenrod (Solidago species) |
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| White Goldenrod (Solidago bicolor), just coming into bloom... |
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| 2 - September 24, 2024 East side of Buck Creek. With rain and then more rain from Hurricane Helene in the forecast, I wanted to check on the largest population of Fringed Gentians in our vicinity. I prefer to photograph these under overcast conditions, but unfortunately the flowers of this species require sun to open. That means I have to try to catch a day that starts sunny, and then clouds up in the afternoon. This day fit that forecast, so I headed there after lunch. Unluckily, it had been sunny at home, but the Gentians' location had seen rain, so not many flowers were open. But that was OK, as I have seen this rare species many times before. As a bonus, I came across a new (for me) species that I'd never heard of before, much less seen! |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentians (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentians (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentians (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentians (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentians (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) - view inside |
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| Fringed Gentians (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| White-banded Crab Spider (Misumenoides formosipes) emerging from Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| Orange-fruited Horse Gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum) I had never heard of, much less seen, this species before coming across a small group of plants. |
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| Fruits of Orange-fruited Horse Gentian I need to catch them in flower next year. |
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| Nodding Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes cernua complex) |
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| Nodding Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes cernua complex) |
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| Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia) |
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| Appalachian Gentian, aka Showy Gentian (Gentiana decora) |
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| Appalachian Gentian, aka Showy Gentian (Gentiana decora) |
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| The start of some fall color at the pond becoming a bog. |