State Line Adiantum, Day 1

My long-standing obsession with Adiantum pedatum on the State Line serpentine barrens has, in a sense, paid off. Morgan Southgate at UVM, who has been studying the entire A. pedatum complex on and around serpentine in Vermont, came south this week to survey and sample maidenhair from various sites on the barrens. I came along to point out some of the more interesting sites and identify local flora.

Our first day in the field was June 12, which we spent at Goat Hill Barrens. The first site surveyed was not far from the Rose Trail, on the upper waters of Pine Run. This is fairly typical habitat for Adiantum in the barrens; streamside in thicker alluvial soils, in a pine-red maple-catbrier or oak-red maple-catbrier forest where serpentine character is relatively limited. Saw the caterpillar of a definite tussock moth (Orgyia definita) near the site; common, but new for me, and carrying the interesting bristles characteristic of the genus.

We took a long loop through some of the forests and grasslands to the northwest of the powerline cut to see some of the characteristic serpentine flora, including quill-leaved fameflower (Phemeranthus teretifolius), which seems to be having a good year this year on various barrens (not yet blooming, though). Our path crossed a valley between two grasslands which abounds in fairy-wand (Chamaelirium luteum), now in spectacular bloom, and also contains some A. pedatum crawling some distance up the slopes in the forest. We emerged at the old magnesite quarry, where a population of maidenhair growing on the near-vertical slope of the mine dump was chosen for Site 2. A monarch butterfly was seen alighting nearby.

After carrying out the floral survey for Site 2, we backtracked towards a property corner below grassland 86, where a canopy gap near the stream shed light on a large, dense patch of maidenhair. (We also saw a nice Ophioglossum vulgatum site, discovered by Janet Novak in 2015, in the vicinity.) This was chosen as Site 3, and Morgan worked on surveying it as I left the field to go teach.

Posted on 17 June, 2018 17:35 by choess choess

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Definite Tussock Moth (Orgyia definita)

Observer

choess

Date

June 12, 2018 10:00 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

American Burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius)

Observer

choess

Date

June 12, 2018 02:32 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)

Observer

choess

Date

June 12, 2018 11:28 AM EDT

Description

Site along the headwaters of Pine Run.

Photos / Sounds

What

Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)

Observer

choess

Date

June 12, 2018 12:18 PM EDT

Description

Maidenhair fern and fairy-wand in the valley between grasslands 23 and 8, along the Rose Trail.

Photos / Sounds

What

Devil's Bit (Chamaelirium luteum)

Observer

choess

Date

June 12, 2018 12:18 PM EDT

Description

Fairy-wand blooming. A dense population exists in this little valley.

Photos / Sounds

What

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Observer

choess

Date

June 12, 2018 01:14 PM EDT

Description

Viceroy alighting near old magnesite mine.

Photos / Sounds

What

Devil's Bit (Chamaelirium luteum)

Observer

choess

Date

June 12, 2018 12:18 PM EDT

Comments

No comments yet.

Add a Comment

Sign In or Sign Up to add comments