From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on December 4. Click a photo to enlarge it.
We snuck in a walk at Bear Creek Regional Park last week (Nov. 26) just before the recent snowfall. It was a cold frosty day, but we saw lots of interesting things!
Here are a few notes and highlights. Photos are mine and Veronique’s. If any IDs are incorrect let me know.
- Fragile fork moss (Dicranum tauricum). The fragile tips break off on your finger!
- Badge moss / coastal leafy moss (Plagiomnium insigne). One of our largest mosses.
- Tree ruffle liverwort (Porella navicularis). A common epiphyte on maple and alder.
- Purplepore bracket fungus (Trichaptum abietinum). A common fungus on conifers, with shades of green and purple.
- Same as above, showing the purplish, ragged pores on the underside.
- Hair ice / frost flowers are associated with the fungus Exidiopsis effusa, on hardwoods.
- They don’t call it “Bear Creek Park” for nothing! Lots of bear sign…scratch marks on trees, and scat with lots of crabapples in it.
- Netted crust (Byssormerulius corium). This fungus was quite abundant on our walk. A striking pure white with soft, marshmallowy edges and a wrinkled surface. Some ochre tints. It is called Meruliopsis corium in some books. On hardwoods.
- Same as above, showing variation of growth form.
- Cow parsnip seeds (Heracleum maximum), formerly H. lanatum. Has delicate brown lines that look painted on.
- Trailing blackberry leaves (Rubus ursinus). “Frosty botany” is always fun to photograph.
- Oyster River view.
