Monday, July 27, 2015

Tosohatchee WMA: Mostly Blue , July 24, 2015

We got an early morning start, but it was raining hard when we arrived at Toso. The rain soon tapered off and we had a good day for photography. Skyflower was the featured wildflower on this visit.  We found several other blue or bluish flowers, including the beautiful pineland waterwillow, making its first appearance in this blog. All wildflowers depicted are native.
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Early Morning Rain
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Skyflower (Hydrolea corymbosa, Hydroleaceae)

Skyflower was abundant; colonies of it were growing on both sides of Power Line Rd and the west side of Fish Hole Rd.

I like the graceful arches the grass makes in the first image above.
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Yellow-eyed grass, meadowmeauty, and young pines
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Wood sage; Canadian germander (Teucrium canadense, Lamiaceae)

Native Americans used the leaves to make medicinal teas. Leaves were also steeped in water for use in healing sores and ulcers of the skin.

Genus name honors Teucher, the first king of Troy, who first used one of the species in medicine to relieve stomach pain and gout.
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 Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum, Asteraceae)
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Sweetscent; saltmarsh fleabane (Pluchea odorata, Asteraceae)
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Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata, Pontederiaceae)
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 Lemon bacopa; blue waterlhyssop (Bacopa caroliniana, Plantaginaceae)
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Peppervine (Ampelopsis arborea, Vitaceae)
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Winged loosestrife (Lythrum alatum var. lanceolatum, Lythraceae)
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Saltmarsh morning-glory (Ipomoea sagittata, Convolulaceae)
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Sweetgum
(early autumn?)
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Showy milkwort (Asemeia violacea, Polygalaceae)
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Starrush whitetop (Rhynchospora colorata, Cyperaceae)
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Axilflower (Mecardonia acuminata subsp. peninsularis, Plantaginaceae)
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Pineland waterwillow (Justicia angusta, Acanthaceae)

This was my first encounter with a Justicia. Roger Hammer identified it for me. It's a small plant, found in wet pine flatwoods, marshes, ditches.
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Pitted stripeseed, piriqueta (Piriqueta cistoides, Turneraceae)
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Swallowtail butterfly
on pickerelweed
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Skipper butterfly
on saltmarsh mallow
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Thursday, July 23, 2015

Pelican Island NWR, July 22, 2015

Our initial plan was to walk only as far as the butterfly garden due to the heat. However, a refuge volunteer came by and told us there had been about a dozen roseate spoonbills and several tricolor herons near the boardwalk leading to the observation deck. She offered us a ride in her golf cart, so we hopped on. We found the spot where the spoonbills had been. Only one remained. After checking out the views from the observation deck, we walked back to our car, photographing plants along the way, including in the butterfly garden. All the plants shown below are natives.
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Roseate Spoonbill
and Tricolor Herons
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 Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans, Aviceniaceae)

Black mangroves are typically found growing immediately inland of red mangroves. They are characterized by their conspicuous pneumatophores, vertical branches that extend upwards from roots below the soil. Their leaves are often found encrusted with salt.
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White mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa, Combretaceae)

White mangroves typically grow upland of both red and black mangroves. Leaves are oval in shape and somewhat flattened.
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Peppervine (Ampelopsis arborea, Vitaceae)

A close cousin of grapes, but considered not palatable for humans. Some people have reported throat issues and stomach upset after eating peppervine fruit.
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Hercules-club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, Rutaceae)

A spiny tree or shrub native to the southeast U.S. Sometimes called "toothache tree" or "tingle tongue" because of the numbness of the mouth, teeth, and tongue induced by chewing on its leaves or bark (thus relieving toothache). It was used for such medicinal purposes by both Native Americans and early settlers.
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Strangler fig (Ficus aurea, Moraceae)

Strangler fig is identified by leaves with a yellow midrib. Immature fruit is shown in this view.
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Southern beeblossom (Gaura angustifolia, Onagraceae)

A common roadside plant.
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Spurred butterfly pea (Centrosema virginianum, Fabaceae)
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Firebush (Hamelia patens, Rubiaceae)
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Firewheel; blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella, Asteraceae)
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Hairypod cowpea (Vigna luteola, Fabaceae)
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Spotted beebalm; dotted horsemint (Monarda punctata, Lamiaceae)
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Climbing aster (Symphyotrichum carolinianum, Asteraceae)
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Carolina wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis, Acanthaceae)
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Scorpionstail (Heliotropium angiospermum, Boraginaceae)
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Tropical sage (Salvia coccinea, Lamiaceae)
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Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris, Asteraceae)

Bracts linear, overlapping, ciliate; leaves clasping, rough, toothed; stem hairy; plant odiferous.
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Pond View
from butterfly garden
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