the point is in the details
Today's walk was all about the details. It rained most of yesterday and over the past few days. After rain the greens become greener and you can smell everything. It's my favorite time to take a walk.
I have been to the Winkler Botanical Reserve in Alexandria, VA, before, but only during fall. It was gorgeous and crunchy and full of autumn colors. In spring, it's just as impressive but in different ways!
Today I took photos with two themes in mind:
- I want to learn about this thing
- This thing looks cool
This thing looks cool
English ivy and green moss growing down a dark, weathered stone wall.
From the Gnome Garden.
I am a sucker for a neat bridge surrounded by flora.
This is also featured in the second list of pictures. (In fact, all of the things I want to learn about also looked cool.) Another thing I love on my nature walks is fungi on trees.
Welcome to... Jurassic Park [cue theme song]. Plants shaped like this always remind me of that.
I want to learn about this thing
Penstemon, most likely Penstemon digitalis, commonly known as Foxglove Beardtongue or White Beardtongue.
This lil guy was on the ground next to a bunch of similar lil guys, except the rest of the lil guys were squished. I couldn't identify it using iNaturalist but I'm guessing it's some kind of flower or fungus?
Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei, also classified as Berberis bealei), sometimes called Beale's Barberry.
Shout out to fungi scientists because how do you even tell the difference? (I know the answer is probably "a microscope," but I don't take samples.) I think this is Turkey Tail (specifically Trametes versicolor), or a very close relative like the False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea).
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia). These are early based on what I read, and they bloom into a very vibrant and beautiful pink.
Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum). I managed to catch these beauties in various stages of growth. Which was very cool.
I am missing a few beginning/end stages so this starts right where it is: Late spring/early summer. Previous there are some growth steps and after there is death before it starts up again in late winter/early spring.
Early Bud Stage: The flower cluster is packed and enclosed inside a protective leaf-like structure called a sheath or spathe.
Early Bloom: The cluster has burst out of the sheath and the individual stalks are spreading outwards to form a structure called a compound umbel. The outer flowers are starting to open while inner clusters are still tightly bunched.
Peak Bloom: The umbel is now fully expanded and in peak bloom. In this stage, the flowers attract pollinators.
Post-Bloom: The white petals are falling after successful pollination and the plant is transitioning into the fruiting stage. The tiny green teardrops at the ends are immature fruits (seeds).
Advanced Seed Production: The seeds are maturing and becoming more defined. As summer progresses, these clusters will dry out completely for the wind to disperse.
Learning this was an interesting contrast to my starting assumption that the flowers simply bloom and then die. I don't really know a lot about flowers, nature, or the various cycles, which is part of why I did this game.
While looking up the stages I also learned that Cow Parsnip contains sap that, if it gets on your skin & becomes exposed to sunlight, can cause severe blistering or burns. I like to touch stuff for sensory experience so I'm glad I didn't touch these.