Mostly Galls, Turkey Creek Sanctuary, September 18, 2011

This short visit resulted in a number of photos of galls and members of the pea family. I found galls on rusty staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea) and goldenrod (probably Solidago odora var. chapmanii).

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Rusty staggerbush galls

Various online resources say that these galls are caused by a fungus (a variant or subspecies of Exobasidium vaccinii). The galls form on leaves. In some cases they replace the leaf; in other cases, only a portion of the leaf is affected. As the galls age they turn brown and harden.

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Goldenrod galls

These galls were on a single goldenrod plant. Online resources show various types of galls that form on the stems of goldenrods; however, I was not able to find any goldenrod galls that looked like these. These galls appeared to be formed from leaves and were on stems. I opened one of the galls to reveal several larva inside.

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Rusty staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea, Ericaceae)
Native

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Turkey oak (Quercus laevis, Fagaceae)
Native
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American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana, Lamiaceae)
Native

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Florida scrub roseling (Callisia ornata, Commelinaceae)
Native, endemic

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Blazing star, Chapman's gayfeather (Liatris chapmanii, Asteraceae)
Native

This plant had a shape I had never seen before: a single stem came out of the ground and then at a node about 6 inches above the ground split into 14 new stems.

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Partridge pea ( Chamaecrista fasciculata, Fabaceae)
Native

This is the first of six members of the pea family that I photographed on this visit.

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Hairy lespedeza (Lespedeza hirta, Fabaceae)
Native

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Dixie ticktrefoil (Desmodium tortuosum, Fabaceae)
Not native

This plant was on the east edge of the parking lot. It's new to this blog and new to me.

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Lanceleaf rattlebox (Crotalaria lanceolata, Fabaceae)
Not native

This small plant was near the beginning of the nature trail. It's new to this blog and new to me.

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 Smooth rattlebox (Crotalaria pallida var. obovata, Fabaceae)
Not native

This species has tri-foliate leaves. (Roger Hammer informed me of the correct identification of this specimen, Apr 12, 2014. Previously, I had labeled it Crotalaria spectabilis.)

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Powderpuff (Mimosa strigillosa, Fabaceae)
Native

These plants were located on the east edge of the parking lot.

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Shed skin of a cicada