Interesting Items Found While Working on Fall Projects

When actively engaged in management tasks, I’m unlikely to stop to take photos.  Completing the activity of the day is usually considered a higher priority than documenting what I do or see.  However, at times when there are natural breaks in the work, I’m quite likely to pull my little Canon G11 from its belt holster and capture some of the interesting items that catch my eye.  Most of the photos illustrate changes that have occurred as a result of my land management activities over the last few decades.  The Little Ladies-tresses, Spiranthes ovalis, is a good example.  This uncommon orchid was represented at Blue Jay Barrens by only a few individuals 30 years ago.  It is now seen commonly across dozens of acres each fall.

One of my favorite plants, Indian Pipe, Monotropa uniflora, was in abundance this year.  These plants are parasites on fungi and have no chlorophyll.  The new stalks are bright white and almost appear self-illuminated against the background of forest floor leaves.

Carolina Buckthorn was once listed as a potentially threatened species in Ohio.  Being a species of the South-eastern United States, its range just reaches into the southern counties of Ohio.  In 1990 Blue Jay Barrens supported just two small populations of this species, with one of those populations consisting of a single individual.  With the removal of non-native invasive shrubs, Carolina Buckthorn seedlings had a chance to become established and flourish.  Mature fruit bearing individuals are now common and seedlings are coming up everywhere.

Flowering Dogwood was eliminated from the Blue Jay Barrens woodlands when Dogwood Anthracnose decimated the population in the early 1990’s.  A few small specimens survived in the open fields and have been producing fruit and seed for many years now.  Mature dogwoods are finally beginning to recolonize the woodland.  The red and orange of their autumn leaves is hard to miss.

I’m unsure of the seed source, but young American Beech are becoming more common in the woods.  I’m happy to see this occurring since one of the historic hardwood mixes in this area was the Beech-Maple forest.  There is no shortage of Sugar Maple here and it would be nice to see a few mature Beech mixed in.

Partridge Berry is another species that has expanded its number greatly in the past few decades.  Historic grazing of cattle in the woodlands is one probable cause of this plant’s early rarity.  The absence of cattle during the past 35 years has resulted in much improved woodland soil conditions.

Fungi of many species were apparent this year.  One of the most noticeable was this Orange Fungus,   Mycena leaiana.  The orange fruiting bodies emerging from fallen logs rivaled the fluorescent blaze of the brightest hunting jacket.

Above average rainfall coupled with a forest of dead ash trees results in an abundance of fungi.  I believe this to be a polypore known as Dryad’s Saddle.

I must have appeared as though I was ready to collapse, because a large mixed flock of Turkey and Black Vultures moved in and began circling directly above me.  It was early morning, so the most likely explanation for the gathering was the development of a thermal current allowing the birds to ride the rising warm air to higher altitudes.  These thermals are common in areas where the rising sun warms bare southeast facing hillsides.  I’ve been known to generate a lot of body heat while working, but I doubt that it’s enough to change the atmospheric conditions above me.

Except for the early spring breeding congregations, Wood Frogs are seldom seen.  I’ve seen several during the past couple of months, possibly due to the uncommonly frequent rains during that time.

Spring Peepers have also been conspicuous this fall.  It’s not uncommon to hear a peeper or two calling on the first few cool days of autumn.  This year has been no exception.

The Giant Cranefly, Tipula abdominalis, is an impressive insect.  The larvae of this species live in upland streams where they feed on decomposing leaves.  Adults are typically found in woodlands, not far from the streams in which they once lived.

Jumping Bristletails are often referred to as prehistoric insects because they have remained relatively unchanged since their emergence approximately 390 million years ago.  My early elementary school days were filled with plans to become a paleontologist, so anything that may have walked with the dinosaurs still draws my attention.

Wooly Bears are the larva form of the Isabella Tiger Moth.  In my lifetime I’ve seen thousands of these caterpillars on the ground, in a hurry to get from one place to another.  This photo documents the first time I have ever seen a member of this species feeding.  In this case the caterpillar is feeding on the upper leaves of a Tall Boneset plant.

This is a female Carolina Leafroller Cricket.  These insects are generally considered common, but seldom seen creatures.  Part of the reason is their nocturnal habit, meaning that their active period is at night.  The rest of the reason is their method of hiding during the day.  As suggested by the name, the Carolina Leafroller Cricket spends its day rolled up in a leaf, making it extremely hard to find.  This individual seems to have been slowed down by an unusually cold night, and is warming itself in the first of the morning sunlight.

The tiny Pygmy Grasshopper is liable to show up anywhere at Blue Jay Barrens.  An adult specimen may grow to be as much as half an inch in length.  I don’t know that I would ever be successful at finding one by searching, but chance provides many encounters each year.

I regularly see Northern Fence Lizards, but I don’t always get out the camera during such encounters.  This time I noticed a fly on the leaf in front of the lizard’s head.  Thinking I had a chance of capturing an image of the lizard at the moment it captured the fly, I got my camera ready.  Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as imagined.

The fly flew and the lizard gave me what seems very much like an accusing look.

Eastern Box Turtles are opportunistic breeders.  They have no pheromones or calls to bring a couple together.  Breeding occurs when two individuals sharing a like mood happen to meet.  Females are capable of storing sperm for many months and using it when needed, so a positive encounter can take place long before the egg laying season.  I’ve seen an increasing number hatchling Box Turtles during the past few years, suggesting that the population is doing well.

 

Apple Cedar Rust Gall

This spring’s frequent rains may be messing up my planned outdoor work schedule, but they have been a boon to many forms of life.  Apple Cedar Rust Fungus depends upon high moisture conditions to properly complete the reproductive portion of its life cycle.  The fungus has a two host life cycle, shuttling back and forth between apple trees and cedars.  Each spring, the cedar bound fungus sheds spores that will make their way to apple trees.  In its spore producing form, the fungus resembles some weird sea creature that has washed up onto a tree branch.

Many people are put off by the appearance of this fungus, but I find it to be quite attractive, as well as fascinating.  From a distance, the cedars appear to have sprouted large orange blooms.  I’ve heard some ascribe Blob-like characteristics to these fungal masses, but I’ve never seen one reach out and engulf passers-by.

The fungus reaches the cedar by way of airborne spores produced by the fungus during the summer while in its apple host phase.  Spores that successfully colonize the cedar will form a small, hard nodule on the new cedar leaves.  The nodule, called a gall, will grow in size until it matures approximately 18 months later.  When spring rains and temperatures produce the proper conditions, filaments called telia emerge from dimple-like structures on the gall’s surface.  Fully hydrated telia produce the spores that will be released to colonize an apple tree.  Spores produced by galls on the cedar cannot establish themselves on cedar.  They can only colonize on apple, and spores from the apple can only colonize cedar.  In order for the fungus to survive, both apple and cedar must be present in the vicinity.

In most fungi, what we notice most are the reproductive structures that must be exposed to successfully spread spores to the wind.  This gall has been halved to reveal the body of the fungus from which the spore producing telia emerge.

After the rain has passed, the telia begin to dry.

The telia will dry back to short stalks, but will swell again when the next suitable rain occurs.  This process can recur several times during the spring season.  So far, this has been an exceptional season for the Apple Cedar Rust Galls.  Judging by the weather forecasts, the cedars may bloom several more times before the season ends.

A Turtle's Mushroom Meal

Not all of the Blue Jay Barrens Eastern Box Turtles are hanging around in the yard.  I found this handsome turtle walking across the steep slope of the cedar forest. 

The recent rains have caused worms and slugs to become more active near the surface of the soil and the turtles are on the prowl to take advantage of these tasty morsels.

Another result of the rain was the emergence of several species of fungi.  This is some member of the Boletes family.  I found the turtle not far away.  I’m not sure if that particular turtle is responsible for the section of missing cap, but that’s quite likely to be the case.

Turtles leave a rather distinctive bite profile.  If this were a crime scene, I could make some plaster casts and check against the turtle’s bite.  It’s not uncommon for turtles to consume fungi.  Turtles are quite opportunistic and will feed on just about anything they come across.

Open water can be hard to find in a normal year and is especially scarce during a drought.  A moist fungus can go a long way towards supplying the turtle’s water needs.

The fungi are quite abundant.  There’s no way that a few turtle meals are going to diminish the fungi’s ability to produce plenty of spores.  A stem defect caused this fungus to topple and expose a mold advancing across the reproductive pores.  Even a fungus can’t avoid being consumed by a fungus.

Mushroom Massacre

The masses of fungi brought on by the excessively rainy summer have produced some interesting encounters this year. Despite the fact that the cold nights have frozen the fungi several times, there are still many species looking fresh and alive. It was surprising to find a mass of parts that looked like the remains of a mushroom explosion.

Little pieces of fungus were scattered all over. The larger chunks displayed distinct bite marks.

This is the only whole specimen I found and it’s been moved. The base of the stem is resting on top of the leaves and it’s only by chance that the mushroom is in an upright position.

Closer examination shows that there’s been some nibbling around the edges of the cap.

The amount of scattered debris made me wonder how tasty this fungus actually was. If it was really good to eat, wouldn’t the culprit have eaten everything instead of just tearing it to pieces? I kept looking for clues of what animal was responsible for this mess.

Judging by this piece of fungus lodged about four feet up a tree, I would guess squirrels to be cause of the mushroom massacre. I’ve seen them eating different types of fungi, but they usually take one to a safe perch before dining. Maybe this squirrel carried a bit of the berserker gene.

Split Gill Fungus

I found some wonderful fungi on a dead branch that fell out of a Tuliptree. This is a Common Split Gill Fungus, Schizophyllum commune. The literature describes it as a common fungus of worldwide distribution, but it’s something that I rarely encounter here.

The Split Gill Fungus is a type of shelf fungi. The fruiting body emerges from dead wood and develops into a horizontal fan. The gills on the lower side of the fan produce the spores. In some places the fungi emerged as scattered individuals.

In other locations, a tight mass was produced. It may just be my mood of the season, but when I see this I can’t help but think of some date based confection covered in powdered sugar.

One of the defining characters of this fungus is the thick layer of white hairs covering the upper surface. At first glance, I thought these were still wearing a covering of frost.

Even when packed tightly together, the individual fungus will spread itself in a way that facilitates the spread of the spores. They look like something you should be seeing on a coral reef instead of a dead branch.

I might have named these the Cat’s Paw Fungus. It’s not hard to imagine a cat reaching out to grab you. I’m not sure how well these fungi will fare at ground level, but their plummet from the tree certainly afforded me several moments of pleasurable observation.

More Spores

For a second time, this Giant Puffball fungus has fooled me into thinking it was a piece of trash. The first time, I mistook the fresh fungus for an old volleyball. This time it looked like a piece of foam rubber cushion with a deteriorating plastic cover. The ridiculous part is the fact that I was doing the exact same thing, mowing along the road, and spotted the puffball from the exact same angle. In a month's time it has gone from a fleshy mass to a pile of dust. It’s a fascinating natural event, but it still reminds me of trash.

The mass of spores looks more like a clogged lint trap or an abused air filter than it does the source of millions of possible puffballs.

Here are the remains of the Tough Puffball I found last month. This was growing on one of my mowed walking trails and I probably would have mowed it over if the grass had done any growing since then. A small portion of the puffball’s upper skin has remained in place, but most of the spore mass has been laid bare to the elements.

Despite its ragged condition, the breeze continues to strip spores from the surface and carry them aloft for distribution in far locales. It can sometimes take months for the last of the spores to disappear. Winds this fall have come from all directions, so these spores have had the opportunity to travel many places far from their origin.

Wind isn’t the only dispersal mechanism transporting spores from this site. Raindrops splash spores onto the surrounding soil. Heavy rains fill the base of the puffball with water that carries spores as it flows off through gaps in the deteriorating side walls. Floating spores may be filtered from the water as it flows overland or they may be deposited by floodwater far downstream.

By next spring there should be nothing left here but an empty shell. It’s hard to predict how much area will ultimately receive spores from this one puffball. Under ideal conditions, it’s possible that the spores could cover the globe. Maybe this is my way of sharing a little bit of Blue Jay Barrens with the rest of the world. Let me know if any of my spores show up in your neighborhood.

Spores

Yesterday evening, I found a wonderful patch of little puffball fungi releasing their spores in response to wind gusts coming out of the north. The sun had not yet set and I was feeling a bit lazy, so I laid in the grass and watched the spores launch themselves into the air. It was a comfortable spot and I’d probably still be there if the sun hadn’t dropped behind the hill.

These puffballs were just a little over an inch across and had openings at the top from which the spores exited.

The wind came in gusts and had a double effect on the fungi. Strong gusts would physically shake the puffball and produce a substantial plume of spores.

Gentler winds produced a more subtle removal of spores. Spores are forced from the opening as the moving air produces an area of low pressure outside the enclosed globe. I once demonstrated this phenomenon to someone by gently blowing over the opening in the puffball and producing a stream of exiting spores. I passed the puffball over for her to try, but instead of blowing across the hole, she blew into it and got a face full of spores for her trouble. Needless to say, I was accused of perpetrating some elaborate practical joke. My defensive arguments were severely weakened by my laughter.

The spores seem to lift slowly from the opening and then accelerate as they get caught up by the wind.

I’m showing this shot because there appears to be a ghostly woman’s face staring at me from the mass of spores. Too bad it’s after Halloween. Of course, it may be that I just inhaled too many hallucinogenic mushroom spores and there’s no face at all.