Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Tosohatchee: Asters, November 20, 2013

Driving SR 528 (Beachline) generally once a week, we notice the rotation of wildflower species along the roadside throughout the year. This week asters were in peak bloom along the margin of ditches on the north side of SR 528. We decided to visit Toso to see if we could find asters there and get close-up photos of them. We found lots of asters along the ditch on the north side of Beehead Rd.

It was an overcast day, so not good lighting for sharp photos. Finally, the rain came down and we left.
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Aster (Symphotrichum spp., Asteraceae)
Native

There are 10 species of aster found in Orange County (where Tosohatchee is located). This is possibly Simmonds' aster (S. simmondsii).

There's a hidden animal in one of the above photos. Can you find it?
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Smallfruit beggarticks (Bidens mitis, Asteraceae)
Native

This species was abundant; generally found near water.
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Blackeyed susan (Rudbekia hirta, Asteraceae)
Native

Only a few blackeyed susan on this visit.
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Glade lobelia (Lobelia glandulosa, Campanulaceae)
Native

Widespread in wet areas along Beehead and St. Nicholas Roads.
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Hairy chaffhead (Carphephorus paniculatus, Asteraceae)
Native

Widespread throughout the flatwoods. Most past their peak blooming and now appearing dark purple.
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Purple thistle (Cirsium horridulum, Asteraceae)
Native
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Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris, Asteraceae)
Native






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Yelloweyed grass (Xyris spp., Xyridaceae)
Native
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Rain

Time to leave
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Eastern phoebe

This little bird stayed put and posed nicely
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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Malabar Scrub Sanctuary, October 4, 2013: Carphephorus

Nothing new on this visit, but I did find a lot of Florida paintbrush (Carphephorus corymbosus).
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Florida paintbrush; coastalplain chaffhead (Carphephorus corymbosus, Asteraceae)
Native

Many Carphephorus plants were growing in the dry, white sand areas east of the paved road through the sanctuary.
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Climbing hempvine (Mikania scandens, Asteraceae)
Native
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Fragrant eryngo (Eryngium aromaticum, Apiaceae)
Native
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Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida, Ericaceae)
Native
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Rusty staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea, Ericaceae)
Native
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Gopher apple (Licania michauxii, Chrysobalanaceae)
Native
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Feay's palafox (Palafoxia feayi, Asteraceae)
Native, Florida endemic

Most species in the Aster family promote outcrossing (cross-fertilization) by a mechanism known as "plunger pollination" (see bottom photo). In each floret, the anthers are fused together forming a tube ("staminal tube"). Pollen is shed from the fused anthers into the tube. The style grows up through the tube. At first the two style branches are held tightly together, concealing the stigmatic surfaces as the style pushes it way through the tube. The outer style surfaces often have patterns of hair that picks up the pollen and pushes it to the tip of the tube (thus acting like a plunger), where the pollen is available to insects or other prospective pollinators. After the style reaches the end of the tube and the pollen has been pushed out (and presumably carried away by pollinators), the two style branches spread apart and expose the stigmatic surface to pollen from other florets. This scheme protects against self-pollination and facilitates outcrossing.
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Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, Arecaceae)
Native

On the way back home from Atlanta, I saw a couple of home-made roadside signs advertising "Berries wanted." I later found out that the signs were referring to saw palmetto berries. The berries are collected and sold to drug manufacturers. Herbal supplements made from the berries is now the No. 3 herbal supplement in the U.S. With the berries being worth about $1 per pound, pickers scour pinelands to harvest them. There were signs that berry pickers had scoured the Malabar Scrub for palmetto berries. I found quite a few berry stalks that had been cut off and stripped of berries. The photo above is of the only stalk I found still attached to a palmetto.
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Rosy camphorweed (Pluchea baccharis, Asteraceae)
Native

I identified this plant from the leaves and growth habit.
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Tall jointweed (Polygonella gracilis, Polygonaceae)
Native
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