New York Flora Association Blog

On July 30, 2011 the Adirondack Botanical Society had a field trip to Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY.  The day started out misty and cold but the clouds later lifted and it was a beautiful day.  A walk up to the top along the stairway and back down along the Wilmington trail to the road and parking lot resulted in the discovery of seven new plants not seen before at the top of the mountain.  They are listed below, some with photos.  To access the complete plant list CLICK HERE.  – Steve Young

Hypericum perforatum, Common St. John's-wort, here in bud, was seen along the roadside just below the parking lot.

One plant of Houstonia longifolia, pale bluets, in full flower, was also seen below the parking lot.

Aquilegia canadensis, Columbine, in fruit, was growing near an area of stonework with lots of mortar.

Euthamia graminifolia, grass-leaved goldenrod, was growing in the stonework area too.

Carum carvi, caraway, a possible invasive species, somehow got established up near the weather observatory.

The other two species, without photos, were Matricaria discoidea, pineapple weed, and Silene vulgaris, bladder campion. They were both found along the roadside near the parking lot.  For a complete set of photos from the trip CLICK HERE.

The Adirondack Botanical Society is pleased to announce its list of summer 2011 field trips. These trips are for everyone from interested enthusiasts to professional botanists. Contact information for each trip is below so please contact them before the trip. Some trips might have a size limit.

Sunday, June 5th 2011.  Crane Mt. Road, Johnsburg (near North Creek).  Mosses and liverworts, showy orchis, Goldie’s fern and some other high pH ferns.  Meet at 10 in the Johnsburg library/town hall parking lot on Main Street near the intersection of 28N.  Contact Evelyn Greene: evelyn.greene@gmail.com

Sunday, June 12th, 2011. Jones Pond paddle. See some wetland orchids in the northern Adirondacks with a paddle into Jones Pond in Paul Smith’s, NY. Start from Jones Pond Road and Route 86 in Paul Smith’s at 10am. Canoe and PFD required. Contact Brian McAlister: birder1964@gmail.com

Saturday, June 18th, 2011. Wright Peak. Visit alpine vegetation at the summit of Wright Peak in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness area. This all day trip requires a rigorous hike up New York State’s 16th highest mountain. Start at the Adirondack Loj near Lake Placid at 9am. Contact Julia Goren: jgorenster@gmail.com. Group size is limited to 15 so you must register in advance.

Sunday, June 26th 2011.  “Ice meadows” along east side of Hudson River, near Warrensburg.  Meet at 10:30am in parking lot of Warren Co. /DEC Park north of Cronin’s Golf Course. Contact Evelyn Greene: evelyn.greene@gmail.com

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011. Pyramid Lake, Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness Area, Essex County. A canoe paddle to see the swamp vegetation at this remote and hard to access lake south of Paradox, NY. Contact Jacqueline Donnelly: donnelly.jackie@yahoo.com (518)584-6346. Group size is limited to 12 so you must register by June 27th.

Saturday, July 30th, 2011. Whiteface Mountain. Visit the alpine vegetation zone without the hike. Start from the Veteran’s memorial highway in Wilmington, NY at 10am. Contact: Julia Goren, jgorenster@gmail.com.

Saturday, August 6th 2011. Madawaska. Visit lowland boreal wetland communities in Franklin County via canoe. Contact: Lem Hegwood lemhegwood@gmail.com.

To join the Google discussion group for the Adirondack Botanical Society send an email to adkbotsoc+subscribe@googlegroups.com. Write Join in the subject line. You can state why you would like to join in the body of the email.

The Hudson River Ice Meadows in late April are still covered in ice. On June 26 you can learn about the unique plants that grow there after the ice melts.

ADK plant enthusiasts on a trip to see big trees after the ABS kickoff meeting on April 30, 2011

The Capital District Friday Field Group just released their schedule for the 2011 field season. The group meets every Friday at 5:30 PM at a location in the Capital District of New York to learn the flora and fauna of the area. The group is also on meetup.com if you would like to register there. For a copy of the schedule CLICK HERE. See you in the field!

The first trip will be April 29th to Joralemon Park in Coeymans to see the early spring flora. If you don't know what this flower is come to the walk to find out.

by Steve Young – NY Natural Heritage Program

Last summer I had to leave early from Mashomack Preserve  on Shelter Island for a field trip to Long Island.  While I waited for the South Ferry I decided to explore the marsh to the west where a friend had told me there were some interesting plants. He was right.

The early morning sun comes up over the ferry.

Salt grass, Distichlis spicata, is lit up by the low sun angle.

The seaside plantain, Plantago maritima ssp. juncoides is our only plantain that grows in saltwater.

Two species of glasswort grow here. Sarcocornia pacifica, pictured here, has rhizomatous stems

Dwarf glasswort, Salicornia bigelovii, is a single-stemmed annual with thick stems and a leaf scale that has a mucronate (pointed) tip.

Here they are together. There is one other glasswort, Salicornia depressa, that is a single-stem annual but its scales are not mucronate and it has more narrow stems.

Slender saltmarsh aster, Symphyotrichum tenuifolium, added some white and yellow accents to the scene.

An osprey often keeps watch over the area.

The Butternut Valley Alliance in Otsego County has scheduled their second annual wildflower walk for Sunday June 5th, at 1:30 PM.

There are pictures of last year’s walk on the Butternut Valley Alliance website. View the pdf of the Flora Walk at the Stroh’s. This year they are hoping it won’t be so rainy.  They would appreciate all the botanical help they can get so they can assemble a good native and invasive plant list of the area.

A pot luck picnic is planned for 4 PM.

For more information contact Leslie Stroh at lstroh@exporter.com.

CLICK HERE for more photos of the beautiful Butternut Valley.