#ohioflora

[cedar-glade]

Angelica atropurpurea, 

it wouldn't be an appropriate year botanizing without running into at least one of these amazing species. Angelica are some of the most impressive species for attracting wasps and beetles. I recently just started trying to understand insect diversity and swooped a few wasp books as well as an introduction book titled “Insects, Their Natural History and Diversity” that my friend Matt “sheriff woody” Berger recommended. 

Either way, although fen season just started it feels like its going to fast, or at least I can’t make it to the populations I want to see for as long as I want to and it’s a bit sad. 

If you ever want to study vespids a good place to look is fens with decent mixed hardwood (both live and dead). This fen is known for both American ash and Black ash as well as plenty of Oak species, sugar maples, and also tulip poplars, with the main attractants being oak species and the ash trees. Other tied diversity comes in forbes with special interest in elder, dogwoods, and members of apiaceae like this Angelica atropurpurea.

[babynaturalist]

Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) seen at Burnett Woods. #beautyberry #burnettwoods #ohioflora #botany #nature

[cedar-glade]

"July is a major month for mixed forbes in much of the tall grass prairie, and perhaps the most eye catching species in this deeply imbricated prairie mosaic is the Royal catchfly, Silene regia. However, in more ways than just aesthetic; this plant is of extreme interest in what it can represent. Lets start with the idea of the caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family, is from a highly evolved and dynamic ecologically and morphologically spectacular order (sundews, flytraps, catchflies, beats, cacti) caryophyllales. Amaranthaceae a highly glandular family and another family known for its aquatic and highly specialized roots evolved for gas exchange (pocketed pneumatophores ) the polygonaceae is also housed under this order. Glands in many of these groups are highly evolved to specifically aid in different needs; Drosera spp. Or sundews have glands that are critical for nutrient aquisition, others in the amaranthaceae are known for scent production, and for this catch fly it is mainly assumed its to act as a herbivory deterant. With that said, some evolutionary botanists are looking at potential protocarnivory derived from mutualistic bacterial interactions with the insects caught in royal catch fly glands that may allow nutrient transfer. True carnivory differs by utilizing direct sequestration from absorption ultrastructural cells and cells under glandular cells that aix in the transport of proteases for break down, which catch fly has been declared incapable of directly. Dienno et. al. 2017 ( Dr. Munson, Dr. Hickey, Dr. Moore, Dr. Vincent, Dr. Huerta from MU). (Available on OhioLink for full pdf)

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realized I never posted any of this on tumblr.

[babynaturalist]

I had a lovely Earth Day hike this morning at Mt Airy Forest. Spring has officially sprung and wildflowers abounded. Most of these were new to me and I haven't looked them up yet, but they are all beautiful and deserving of attention! #earthday #getoutside #botany #cincinnati #ohioflora #mtairy

[babynaturalist]

Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) popping up en masse along my walk to campus. A European native, member of the buttercup family, and one of the first spring bloomers. #botany #ohioflora #winteraconite #spring #springflowers #flower #aconite

[cedarlili]

Juniper berries, seen on my hike today. #naturephotography #juniper #berries #bokeh #ohioflora

[cedarlili]

This rattle-box style seedpod belongs to Velvetleaf #abutilon #abutilontheophrasti #ohioflora #seedpod #seeddispersal

[babynaturalist]

Leaf gall on gray birch (Betula populifolia) #birch #leaf #leafgall #ohioflora #botany #nature