Slatsz' Wildflower Walks 2012 - two: July 24, 2012 - Epilobium brachycarpym, autumn willow herb

Two hours fifteen minutes at the park. 145 photos, 60 keepers. I didn’t arrive till almost 5 in the evening.

Hot in the sun. Pleasant in the shade.

I stopped at the north access to the park and walked the upper portion of the north trail checking on Chondrilla juncea, rush skeleton weed. The one plant with buds opening July 11 was an anomaly. None of the scores of plants there showed blossoms or petal color in buds.

I drove to the south most of the east accesses to the park to check the shrub that was ‘unidentified’ but that I now believe to be Lonicera species, probably Lonicera utahensis, Rocky Mountain honeysuckle.

There are two access paths there, one well trod the other little used. I took the wrong one, as usual. The honeysuckle is on the path less traveled.

The good thing about taking the wrong path is that I saw a very interesting plant which, of course, I can’t identify. Its apical blossom is past bloom but it seems to have lateral buds on it.

The apical blossom had the ‘umbrella’ seeds. I suppose that makes it Asteraceae.

It’s certainly something to watch.

I’m writing this as I process the photos, letting the photos remind me of the walk. And damn me for letting ‘goal oriented behavior’ keep me from spending time with this plant. I can’t tell for sure that it has lateral buds. I see two plants in the foggy distance that seem to be this species with full blown seed heads. They could be Tragopogon dubius, goat’s beard or salsify, but I don’t think so. The seed-head looks like goat’s beard. The stem looks more like this plant.

The grasses were down ‘inside’ the cover of the large trees on the east edge of south pond. I went into the trees to get a better look at the base of the huge Crataegus douglasii, black hawthorn. It seems to be a tangle growing up from a stump.

I continued down to the north mudflat of south pond to improve my photos of Bidens vulgata, tall beggar tick. As with the rush skeleton weed, the blossoming beggar tick I had found on a previous outing was anomalous. I also found only one plant in bloom this outing.

The area is thick with beggar tick foliage with broadleaved Xanthium strumarium, cocklebur foliage here and there.

The blossoming plant was around on the west side of south pond where it would get more sun.

Once again I was taking specimens and carrying them to shade for photography. Once again the beggar tick foliage shriveled quickly.

And, once again, I found Lactuca serriola, prickly lettuce in seed-head but none in bloom. They must close in the heat of the day.

Walking back up the main trail to find the Honeysuckle I came upon this little wad of cotton … a snow drift blazing in the sun, Gnaphalium palustre, marsh cudweed. It didn’t belong there. I took a couple of snapshots. I didn’t see that it had the nice crowns of ray-flowers I’ve been looking for till I got it to the computer. [Ray-flowers, not petals. It is Asteraceae].

I’m sure it will be destroyed before I can get back to get better photos. It’s right in the main trail.

I saw the tall plant with opposite leaves and a floral spike along side the main east access trail, near

Ash Court

. The leaves are sessile … stem-less … somewhat clasping.

I pulled a similar plant down by south pond thinking it was the same plant in bloom. But when I photographed it I noticed it had alternate leaves. I think it must be Rumex salicifolius, willow dock.

Well. Damn. The inflorescence doesn’t look a hell of a lot like the photos of R. salicifolius in Burke and Carr doesn’t list R. Salicifolius. He has four Rumex. None look like this plant.

The attempt at a close-up of the inflorescence is a blurry mess but you can see sepals.

I was delighted to find Lonicera utahensis, Rocky Mountain honeysuckle in fruit. It has the familiar honeysuckle berries.

I walked down over the hill across the street to see if the Amaranthus retroflexus, red root pigweed had developed inflorescence. It hadn’t.

On the way I noticed a prune with its seed exposed.

I went over to the mound of Parthenocissus vitacea, woodbine or thicket creeper south of the prune tree. The only difference between the woodbine and Virginia creeper is sticky pads for climbing walls on the Virginia creeper. I haven’t been able to observe anything like sticky pads, so far. I need to watch for a plant climbing a wall.

This plant seemed, at least in part, past bloom. Burke gives no text description. Carr doesn’t have the plant. Turner has no text description. Wikipedia has only, “The flowers are small and greenish, produced in clusters in late spring, and mature in late summer or early fall into small hard purplish-black berries 5–7 mm diameter.”

Both Virginia creeper and woodbine are native to eastern United States but woodbine is apparently native as far west as Montana. If Montana, why not eastern Washington?

I drove down and parked in the sparse evening shade beyond the fireplug. The path to the main trail is not well established this year.

I checked the Viburnum edule, high bush cranberry. It had been destroyed by someone burning brush last winter but it seems to be coming back nicely. No sign of blossoms. It had an interesting blossom last year. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get a good record of its blossom this year.

There are two patches of Eriogonum niveum, snow buckwheat, one here on the outcrop beside the path to the main trail and one down in the west end in import corner. Perhaps its presence in import corner indicates that the person or persons that imported plants brought it in.

It may show tiny buds but I didn’t attempt to photograph them. No sign of blossoms.

I attempted several landscapes but am keeping only one with the mound bearing the strange red leaved Prunus virginiana, choke cherry.

I keep checking on Madia glomerata, stinking tarweed but I don’t see blossoms. I need to get out some morning in case they close during the heat of the day. I need to check on these and the prickly lettuce for morning blossoms.

Some of these apparent buds on the stinking tarweed show dry brown petal tips. They might be past bloom. They’re Asteraceae, ray flowers not petals.

I found only one Epilobium brachycarpum, autumn willow herb blossoming and its blossoms were only beginning to open.

I photographed a plant with significant petal color showing in its buds July 7^th, seventeen days ago.

Fatigue is my only alibi for the photos of the unidentified herb of the north pond mudflat. I was on my way home. But perhaps the photos will help me remember to check it on future outings.

It is tall and has the opposite leaves of one of the unidentified herbs at the east access. Nice if they are the same species.

The fur seems to me to be the remains of a rabbit. Looks like a coyote or some one’s dog had dinner.

I’m delighted with the photos of the unidentified street and sidewalk loving ground hugger. The blossoms are almost invisible to the naked eye and they look to be quite interesting and perhaps unusual when enlarged in the computer. [‘Invisible’. You can see some indications with the naked eye but you can’t tell for sure that what you are seeing are blossoms.]

I hope I can find out what kind of plant it is.

I’m trying to learn to use plant keys for plant identification. The Burke plant identification keys are not usable for me.