The NYFA Board met in Cooperstown on April 18 to discuss future projects, field trips, workshops and other issues. Their annual members meeting will be on Sunday May 5th beginning with a tour of Nelson Swamp. See our web page on field trips for more information. The day began with a field trip to Table Rocks at the campus of Hartwick College in Oneonta where we were joined by bryologist Dr. Sean Robinson from SUNY Oneonta who helped identify the mosses. A great time was had by all.
Table Rocks is located on the slopes above the Science Building but permission is needed to access the site.
Board members Connie Tedesco and David Werier examine the cliff face plants while Sean Robinson looks on.
The thin cross-layered siltstone and shale were amazing and covered with mosses.
Dr. Robinson was eager to show everyone the different species of moss.
David Werier, Dan Spada, and Sean Robinson examine the mosses.
Many of the outcrops had a large amount of rock tripe lichen covering them.
The view from table rocks looks out over the southwestern part of Oneonta and the wetlands on Lower River Street and Oneida Street.
Steve Daniel showed us an example of the green stain fungus in wood, Chlorociboria aeruginacens.
Connie Tedesco talked to us about the Hoysradt herbarium at Hartwick College that she curates. The college is in the process of deciding what to do with it.
Outside the science building we saw a naturalized population of Bellis perennis, English daisy, one of two flowering plants we saw that day. The other was colt’s foot, another European import. With the delayed flowering season we are having this spring it was great to see anything blooming!
