Woodland Orchids and other wildflowers

 A walk in the woods these days can be very quiet. Bird song has diminished greatly, and already warblers that passed through in May on their way to the more northern breeding grounds, are making their way back south. But they aren't singing, so all is very quiet. There aren't even many mosquitoes!

That's okay, as there are lots of other things to be captivated with. There are things to see and photograph no matter where you go. Certainly in the last week or so I have been on the prowl for mid-summer plants, some of which are extremely rare.

One of the target species at this time of year, is to find one of Canada's rarest orchids: Nodding Pogonia (Triphora trianthophoros). As far as anyone knows, the only place in Canada where it occurs is at Rondeau. It is legally endangered, and due to that status and the extreme difficulty in finding it, it is not something that can be show cased, much to the great chagrin of serious orchid enthusiasts.

It is not like it is even a large orchid that can be appreciated from a safe distance. It is typically only about 8-10 cm high. The flowering is triggered by specific weather types, and all of the buds that are ready to open will do so on the same day, and only for that day. It may be a week or more until another weather event triggers the next round of flowering. Even when it is in flower, it can be difficult to see. When it is not in flower, which is most of the time, it is extremely difficult to see, even when you know it is right close by.

I've been out a couple of times recently, trying to time my search for a day when it is in flower. I missed out on the first attempt, but yesterday I managed to time it perfectly. In an area that I have been monitoring since the 1970s, I encountered about 115 plants, most of which were in flower. On occasion they will be in a small cluster, as shown in the first photo.

Sometimes a plant will have two, or rarely three, flowers in bloom simultaneously.

But typically only one flower will be open at a time. Upon a closer examination, it clearly is an intricate little flower. To give you an idea of size, this flower is about one cm in height!

A much more widespread, but not common, orchid is this Small Green Woodland Orchid, or Club-spur Orchid (Platanthera clavellata), which typically grows in fairly wet spots such as at the edge of a slough.

Aside from orchids, there are many other wildflowers to take note of, scattered here and there.

Small-flowered Agrimony

This next one is American Spikenard. It isn't a common species, and this particular individual was one of the largest I have ever seen. The actual flowers are small.....

...and the leaves and their arrangement are distinctive.

Climbing Nightshade is fairly commonly scattered at the edges of openings.

This next one is Cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum). It is a tall plant, with distinctive leaves joined at their base to give its 'cup'.

It is a member of the sunflower family. I don't believe it is naturally occurring at Rondeau. It is an obvious plant, and I only saw one cluster in an are of the park that has recently been left to be naturalized. It is not on the park's previous plant checklists and this is the first time I have seen it. I can only conclude that someone decided to introduce this species, and likely without permission. It is native to Ontario, and is not uncommon along the Thames River in flooded woodland edges.

Hoary Tick-trefoil

Great Lobelia

This next one is fairly rare, called Hairy Mountain-mint. It differs from some of the more common mountain-mints due to its quite hairy stem, as shown in the close-up.

Marsh Skullcap

A fairly common species, especially in open damp areas, is Spotted Joe-pye-weed.

The stem is typically heavily spotted with purple....

,,,,and sometimes the stem itself is mostly purplish.

A closely related species is this Sweet Joe-pye-weed. It usually grows in more wooded areas, and the stem is mostly free of any purple.

I came across another Species At Risk, this one being Black Ash. Ash species in general have been greatly affected by the Emerald Ash Borer, but Black Ash has always been uncommon. It is identified by its blackish terminal bud, as shown in the first photograph..... 

 ....and by the leaves that are joined right at the stem without having a petiole, and the underside of the leaves are fuzzy/hairy.

 Royal Fern is not common, but can be found in sloughs and wet wood edges.....

...nor is Red-berried Elder common. The berries are not edible, unlike its relative, the Common Elderberry.

Water Parsnip is fairly regular in grassy damp areas along the edges of woodlands.

Woodland Sunflower is very common at the woodland edges, but looks quite a bit like others in the same genus.

One of the main differences is that Woodland Sunflower has leaves that do not have any petiole or stem, and are tightly joined to the main stem of the plant. Also, the leaves are rough to the touch on both upper and lower sides.

There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of different sedges. Most of the time they mystify me, but there are a few that I kind of recognize. This one is probably Hop Sedge (Carex lupulina). However there is another one that looks almost identical, and is extremely rare. It is in fact endangered.

One of the main differences is in the shape and appearance of the seeds, or achenes, inside the pouches. When I checked this one, it has a strong similarity to the Hop Sedge look-a-like, known as False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis). Back in my District Ecologist days, some co-workers and I were checking out several sites for False Hop Sedge, and came across at least a couple of sites for it in Middlesex County. One of the main differences between the two species was to look at mature achenes, and if they had knobby edges or corners it was more likely the False Hop Sedge. This one, shown below, has some knobby edge features on its more or less triangular shape, but I am waiting for confirmation or correction on this which I posted on iNaturalist. One of my former OMNR co-workers who is an expert on sedges (and many other things) has not yet responded. If it is False Hop Sedge, it will be one more officially ranked Species At Risk for Rondeau!

American Ginseng is not common at Rondeau, or anywhere else for that matter, and it is also a Species At Risk. I know of a few small populations, and I check out one or more of them from time to time. The hot, dry early part of the summer was not kind to this species, and many of the ones I checked had already withered away. A very small number were still trying to develop some seeds, shown here in their green stage. After fully ripening, they will be bright red.

With the greater moisture of the last few weeks, some fungi are starting to appear. This first one is a type of Jelly Fungus....

...and this next one is in the group known as the Coral Slimes.

I noted this bug on the leaf of an ash tree. It is a young stage of a Green Stink Bug; an adult is shown immediately after.

Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars can be found in clusters on milkweeds.

Walking through the woods these days will give one plenty of encounters with spider webs. This is probably a member of the Micrathena genus.

I noticed this Robber Fly zip out and grab something, then return to its perch to devour it. It is not a common species of Robber Fly, and does not have a common name. Its scientific name is Machimus snowii.

There is always lots to see during any wanderings in a natural area!

If you would like to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to Nature Nuggets, send an email to: prairietramper@gmail.com

Some night-time creatures of Newport Forest that saw the light

 Newport Forest is a wonderful natural treasure, tucked away on the south side of the meandering Thames River in Elgin County. It was a combination of woodland, creek valleys and abandoned farmland when it was acquired more than two decades ago by Kee and Pat Dewdney. The abandoned farmland was planted into various trees, shrubs and native herbaceous plants, and the Dewdney's undertook an ambitious plan to document all living things, plant or animal, to be found on the site. You can read much more about Newport Forest at this link.

A few years ago, the Dewdney's donated it to the Thames Talbot Land Trust, a well-organized and effective organization dedicated to preserving many natural areas within their area of interest.

Virginia Bluebells

I have been there several times, usually upon invitation, and especially with the intent of enjoying the wonderful display of Virginia Bluebells in late April or early May, but even more so, to set up my black lights and survey for the night-time creatures that are drawn to the lit up sheets. Moths, of course, are my main target, although there are many other things that arrive.

It was this past weekend, at the end of National Moth Week, that I met Kee and we proceeded to set up the black lighting equipment in preparation for the arrival of some winged denizens of Newport. There were lots of non-moths, to be expected, and there was no shortage of caddisflies of various shapes, colours and sizes. They are difficult to identify to species, but this one apparently is Potamyia flava. I don't know if it has a common name or not.

But the moths were the main focus, and although we only had the lights on for a bit less than two hours, I photographed a little more than 40 species of moths. Most were to be expected, but some were notable for their provincial rarity. What follows are some of the more significant or colourful ones.

The first one, Currant Fruitworm Moth, is fairly small as you can tell in comparing it to the size of the weave of the sheet. There are very few records for Ontario, although it does not have any official status. It is the first record for Elgin, according to iNaturalist.

Delightful Dagger

This next one is one of the largest moths we saw that night. It lives up to its name, the Drab Prominent, and what makes it a bit notable is that it is officially Endangered according to Nature Serve, and S2/Imperiled according to the Natural Heritage Information Centre. There are fewer than 20 records for Ontario, all in southern Ontario, and this is the first for Elgin.

Flowing Line Snout

Another rarity is Glorious Habrosyne, shown next. It didn't come to the sheet, but hung out on the branch I was using from which to support the light. Fortunately it was not worn and the detailed pattern was nicely visible. There are a few dozen records scattered across Ontario, predominantly in the south, and it is on the list of rare species that the NHIC maintains. I photographed this species a couple of years ago at Newport. It is the third record for Elgin, according to iNat.

On the very smallest scale of the moths was this next one: the Gooseberry Barkminer, a.k.a. White Eye-capped Moth. It is only about 6 mm in length.

Green Leuconycta

This next one is not very common anywhere, but widely scattered, and its distinctive pattern is always a delight to see on the sheet.

Harris's Three-spot

These next two are quite similar, and if they are not in fairly unworn condition, can be a challenge to identify. They are both in the Acrobasis genus.

Hickory Leafstem Borer

Hickory Shoot Borer

Next is a fairly large one, known as the Interrupted Dagger Moth.

Johnson's Euchlaena

The American Lappet Moth, next, is not only fairly large and colourful, it has the distinct habit of not folding its forewing against the body and hindwing, but laying it somewhat flattened.

Mantled Acrobasis Moth

Master's Dart

Painted Lichen Moth

As you can see, not all moths come to the sheet. This one, the Ragweed Borer Moth, decided the light itself was more to its liking.

Some moths habitually have their wings folded in an upright position, at least part of the time.

Fortunately they will usually flatten them out, making this Red-fringed Emerald much easier to photograph and identify.

Sharp-angled Carpet

Next is a member of the Slug Moth group, called a Skiff Moth. While it doesn't have an official rarity status, it is on the NHIC's list of Rare Species in Ontario.

The Splendid Palpita is fairly common and widespread.

Unfortunately this next one, which was formerly called Gypsy Moth but now called Spongy Moth, is not native and fairly common. It goes in cycles, and in 2021 it was extremely abundant. The current year is a lot better, and this is just the first one I have photographed this year and the only one we saw on this night. Last year I sometimes would get as many as 20 at a time on the sheet!

The Thin-winged Owlet, next, is quite distinctive in both form and pattern. It is Vulnerable in Canada, and on the NHIC list of rare species. It is widely scattered in mostly southwestern Ontario. This is the first record for Elgin Co., according to iNat.

Variegated Midget

Next is the Verbena Bud Moth, the Verbena presumably referring to the genus of plant that it is specifically attracted to and lays eggs on.

Underwing moths are in a class by themselves in terms of diversity and the very attractive pattern one may see on the hind, or under, wing. They are not often attracted to lights, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this one, known as the Wonderful Underwing. I didn't get a photo of its underwing colours and pattern which features black and orange bands.

Woodgrain Leafroller Moth

I did show one non-moth at the beginning of this post. I don't often spend a lot of time photographing them, but some are nice to capture just the same.

This first one shows a pair of mating craneflies of the Limoniidae family.

This is the Green Cone-headed Planthopper. It used to be considered rare in Ontario, but likely due to the increased interest in black lighting, it has been determined to be more common and widespread to the point of not being rare now.

Next is what may be a small mayfly known as one of the Blue-winged Olives. I photographed it unintentionally, as it was beside a much larger moth, but was able to crop the photo to get this critter as well.

And last, but not least, is a bug that has its own lighting ability, and may have come by to see what this larger white sheet lighting was all about. It is a Lightning Bug of the Photuris genus.

Kee and I are already discussing another black lighting event much later in the season, depending on the weather.

If you would like to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to Nature Nuggets, send an email to: prairietramper@gmail.com