17Jun 2016 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

Puffballs, Earthstars, Jelly, and Bracket Fungi

Food, Plants
[caption id="attachment_14895" align="alignright" width="480"] Puffballs-from-Belfasts-St.-Georges[/caption] A famous scientist’s father asked the man to describe a specific bird. The scientist used impressive language. The father then told the young man his description told him nothing about the bird. The words were mere man-made classification terms. The scientist took the lesson to heart. He became the famous nuclear physicist, Richard Feynman. In discussing puffballs and the other fungi, we will avoid scientific jargon or lingo. Instead, we will speak of what they are and why they are special. [caption id="attachment_14891" align="alignleft" width="320"] Puffball-Fungus-from-Eaglenest-Arunachal-by-Kalyanvarma-CC-by-SA3.0[/caption] As a child, you may have been running in a field and spotted what looked like an odd round or egg-shaped white to greenish-brown object. It may have been smooth, or it may have had small warts or spikes…
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13Jun 2016 by Vincent Summers 5 Comments

The Devils Walking Stick – Aralia Spinosa

Plants
Years ago, while walking along a stretch of University of Virginia woods, I spotted what looked like giant rose bushes. Research revealed they were spiny deciduous shrubs (resembling small trees) called Hercules Club or the Devils Walking Stick, Latin name Aralia spinosa. While the stems resemble rose bush stems, the density of the thorns is much greater. To a large degree, the shrubs spread by means of runners (rhizomes). The beautiful leaves are compound, ornate, and quite large. The flowers are creamy-white and are plentiful. The fruit clusters remind one of elderberry fruit. If its moderate spreading tendency can be tolerated, the shrub is a magnet for butterflies and small birds. Black bears will also eat the fruit. Deer may browse the plant and use it as a place to…
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04May 2016 by Vincent Summers 4 Comments

Have Boxelder Maple Trees? Make Boxelder Syrup!

Food, Plants
[caption id="attachment_14989" align="alignright" width="480"] Tree Tapping[/caption] Do you really adore 100% real maple syrup and maple sugar? If so, maybe you would enjoy making your own maple syrup. But you say you don’t have sugar maple trees! There is good news, though. There are other trees whose sap can be used to produce sweet syrup for your morning pancakes or French toast. Have you ever heard of boxelder syrup? Confusing Boxelder Trees with Poison Ivy It is not rare for a person to identify a boxelder tree as poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). You can see why this is the case if you compare the images provided with this article. Because I am aware of the similarity between the two plants and the tendency of others to make a mistake, I…
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30Mar 2016 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Volvox Reproduction and Morphogenesis

Biology, Plants
[caption id="attachment_13926" align="alignright" width="440"] Volvox - Frank Fox www.micro-foto.de[/caption] Volvox, volvox reproduction, and what we learn from volvox morphogenesis are not your typical high school topic. Yes, biology is a standard college preparatory course. If it weren't for dissection, it would probably be one of the most popular sciences. Especially would that be so of the fascinating tiny, one-celled creatures. These include: 1. Amoeba 2. Paramecium 3. Euglena1 4. Hydra We learned about small plant forms as well, including: 1. Molds 2. Algae 3. Mosses 4. Lichens We will discuss one form of algae, Volvox of the family Volvocaceae. There are a number of forms of algae. Volvox is one of the green algae – a chlorophyte. Volvox is unique among the chlorophytes. It is most unusual in structure and…
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21Sep 2015 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Pilewort: Wildflower or Weed? Practical Value?

Plants
The pilewort (Erechtites hieraciifolius), is nicknamed the fireweed. It quickly regrows in fields that have been burned. It looks to the eye as nothing more than a weed. If a September wind blows through fields full of the plant, it seems to be raining tiny dandelion seeds. Folk Uses for Pilewort Every animal and plant has some redeeming value. That truism is not proven false for E. hieraciifolius. For one thing, the white hairs of the plant can be used to stuff pillows and toy animals. The name suggests the plant is good in treating piles (hemorrhoids). Erechtites is known for its foul smelling odor. Reported uses for the plant include the treating of hemorrhage, dysentery, skin diseases, and cholera. It also has been used as a purgative and emetic.…
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12May 2014 by Vincent Summers 3 Comments

Buttercups Glow at Night

Biology, Plants
Believe it or not, buttercups glow at night. Before bed, I take our rather large dog for her nighttime walk so there will be no “accidents.” I am old and weigh 300 lbs., so I take the direct route, along the driveway. There are margins of grass and weeds on either side. In late summer, for about the past several years, I have seen these tiny lights glow, then fade, glow then fade. When I first spotted them, I hustled back to get a flashlight so I could see what the little accordion-like creatures. Turns out they were glowworms. Sing with Me Now Of course the song Glow Little Glow Worm by the Mills Brothers came immediately to mind. But imagine my surprise when, one night in mid-spring I saw a…
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12Apr 2013 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Arrival of Spring: Pay Attention to Little Things

Plants
[caption id="attachment_3634" align="alignright" width="380"] Pennsylvania Bittercress - Image: USGS[/caption] Will there ever be a spring? After a blistering summer comes fall. The fall often begins with a sharp break in temperature, while there remains a low level of precipitation. Then comes October and its beautiful colors. If temperatures are mild and the rains don't pick up too severely, those colors may last for sometime. November is blustery, gray, chilly, and morose. Yet, November has an upside. December follows, January, and finally February. Winter’s death draws near. March approaches. Actually, the tail end of February can be the earliest harbinger of spring, but certainly by March, one should be paying close attention for the tiny signs of spring. Look at your lawn. It will speak in little ways that you are…
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01Apr 2013 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Early Signs of Virginia Spring Flora

Plants
[caption id="attachment_3603" align="alignright" width="440"] Dead Nettle - GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 by Daniel J. Layton[/caption] A special event - the appearance of the spring flora, is dear to my heart. I’m not one of those thrill-seeking lovers of wintertime sports. Although I love to be outside in the fresh air in a good, deep, dry snow in wintertime, nearly inhaling the tiny crystals as they fall, I rue the time that must follow when the white turns gray, and the snow becomes ice and slush. I hate the shoveling and the power outages. I hate the indoor cold and the outside damp. Here in Virginia, as soon as all of that is over, and the last of the snows melt in late February or early March, I look…
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