timberwalkers: The more I learn, the less I know

Welcome to the latest entry in my "Year in the Woods" series, where I document all the native plants I can find in our woods in one year.

Since I first began this little project back in April, I have learned quite a bit about native plants and how to identify them. But more than anything, I've learned how little I know. Fortunately, plant ID books can compensate to some extent, and I've added a new one to my collection (A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina by Richard Dwight Porcher and Douglas Alan Rayner). Yes, the internet is wonderful, but there is something satisfying and relaxing about slowly browsing through a field guide.

I've also finally gotten around to creating a spreadsheet of the plants I find, organized by date. I'm hoping it will be a good reference for me in future years to know when to look for certain flowers. You can view it here, if you're interested. I've found over 70 species so far.

But let's move on to this week's sightings.

First we have the Crane-fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor). As you can see in the photo, there's not much to it, just a single narrow stem with tiny blossoms. But it's an orchid! Growing wild in the NC woods! It's life cycle is also interesting. It produces a single leaf in the fall which dies off the following spring, then a couple months later shoots up this flower stalk.

Here is a clump of four plants from last October showing the leaf, which is pretty in it's own right.

I think of Goldenrod as a fall plant, but here is one blooming in late-July. We have at least three species, and maybe I'll get them sorted out over the next couple months. They are in the Solidago genus. That tiny bee is almost certainly one of our native pollinators, which are just as vital as honeybees, and also at risk especially from habitat loss. Plant natives!

This little plant has puzzled me for years, so it's very satisfying to finally ID it. It's called Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza longistylis). It does have a flower but it's unremarkable, so I chose this pic with the cute little frog.

Unremarkable unknown plant. [Update: This is Eupatorium aromaticum]

Now the bonus sightings. First, dragonfly!

Wild turkey running down the driveway. He got separated from a large flock of about 20 which flew off when the dog started barking.

Hawk perched on the light post. Probably had his eye on the songbirds at the feeder.

Speaking of field guides, I found a wonderful new butterfly reference called Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina & Georgia by Marc Minno. It's a fold-up laminated "pocket" guide, very handy.

Here is Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Butterflyweed.