Scavenger Hunt at Shale Hollow Preserve

 

photoShale Hollow Nature Preserve is a relatively new preserve in Delaware, Ohio. Every weekend I take my dog to a different park and this week’s destination was Shale Hollow! After reading about the variety of habitats in the preserve’s relatively small area I decided this would be a great place to go on my plant scavenger hunt.

As I stepped out of my car into the parking lot I caught site of my first target species, Pokeweed, or Phytolacca americana. It was growing in a culvert on the edge of the parking lot with some other weeds and grasses and was easily recognizable by its dark purple fruits growing on a bright fuchsia stem.

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 As I began to walk the preserve’s main gravel trail I caught sight of an Ulmus spp., the other species I needed to find. I recognized it by the double serrated alternate leaves. Unfortunately, the brown fringes on the leaf edges indicative of Dutch Elm disease were also a clue to this plant’s identity.

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 As the forest transitioned into a prairie I came upon a large clump of wild grape. I had to pull through it a bit to find a good example of a character I was looking for, tendrils!

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Upon entering the prairie I was surrounded by a sea of yellow. But the vibrant color wasn’t coming from the Canadian Goldenrod that I was used to seeing, but rather a member of the Fabaceae family, Partridge Pea, or Camaecrista fasciculata. The plants had four part flowers as well as legume fruits that made it obvious they were part of the pea family.

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On the the edge of the prairie trail, overshadowed by tall grasses was a single Solanaceae plant. Since it was all on its own and had but a single, large fruit, I couldn’t pick it for ID. It was also done flowering so Newcomb’s wasn’t much of a help. Despite being a mystery species this plant was definitely a Solanaceae as evidenced by the broad, uniquely shaped leaves, herbaceous growth pattern and its green, tomato-like fruit wrapped in 5 sepals.

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The last character I had to find was capsule fruits. It proved to be a bit difficult, but on my way out I walked past the Preserve’s planted bed of native plants. Coreopsis lanceolata was my saving grace. This plant was in flower so I was able to ID it and it also had the dry capsule fruits I was looking for.

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Kinnear Road Plants

All plants found on September 17, 2014 outside of the Ohio State Museum of Biological Diversity

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Species name: Cichorium intybus
Common name: Chicory
Family: Asteraceae
Status: Native to Europe, but considered naturalized in the United States
Notes: This plant can produce tall flowers in open, undisturbed habitats, but is also capable of producing short flowers in areas like lawns that are regularly mowed. This plant was growing in an open mulch bed along with some other weeds including Taraxacum spp.

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Species name: Echinacea purpurea
Common name: Purple Coneflower
Family: Asteraceae
Status: Native to the Lower 48 United States
Notes: This herbaceous plant only grows naturally in prairies with well drained soil, however it thrives in most conditions when planted. The pink drooping petals are unique to the flowers of this plant. The spiky “hedgehog-like” seed pods for which the genus (Echinacea) is named are also a diagnostic feature.

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Species name: Solidago canadensis
Common name: Canada Goldenrod
Family: Asteraceae
Status: Native to most of North America
Notes: This plant is an early successor and is often one of the first plants to colonize scorched ground. However, it’s also one of the first plants to give way to other herbaceous plants and tree saplings during succession. This group of plants was planted in a garden with a bit of mulch.