Walk•About: William Hastie

•

Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Botanizing was a popular hobby in the mid-1800s. Henry David Thoreau did it as did thousands others. And with over 1,000 flowering plants in Tennessee, there's a lot out there to find in our state alone.

This Saturday, April 23, join me and guest wildflower aficionados Lynne and Bob Davis for an afternoon wildflower search at William Hastie Natural Area in South Knoxville near Ijams.

Free to Ijams members. $5 for non-members. Call 577-4717, ext. 10 to register.

Great fun!

•

little beggars

•

Once again I’ve heard from orchid chaser Bob Davis, but this time it’s not an orchid that has piqued his curiosity. Bob and his wife Lynne like to find and identify odd flowers that might go overlooked. In this case, it’s Bidens comosa, or swamp tickseed.

Bob writes, “The Peterson Field Guide Series for Wildflowers of Northeastern and North Central North America on page 168 with an uncolored sketch on page 169. At first I missed the fact that the bracts around the flower were green bracts and not yellow petals.

“ I discovered that not only is one plant in the lily pond but there are dozens in the pond on the same side as the two imported cypress trees.”

Tickseed and beggar’s lice produce seeds that stick to pants, socks, fur, Grandma's quilt (but don't tell Grandma that you have it outside). In essence, the seeds beg a ride on who or whatever happens to pass.

The Latin genus name “Bidens” means two-toothed and refers to the two projections usually found at the top of the seed. The word “comosa” means bearing tufts of leaves.

•

orchid chasers

•








I recently heard from my friends Bob and Lynne Davis, a.k.a. the orchid chasers.

"We went to the Obed Wild and Scenic River's Lilly Bluff Overlook Trail just off TN Hwy 62W and found three specimens of Green Adder's Mouth (malaxis unifolia)! Note: just after the flowers have reached their peak, they turn a pale yellow.

"Also in view were large lady slipper leaves, spotted wintergreen in bloom, checkerberry, rattlesnake plantain some with spikes but no blooms as yet, and a few Indian cucumber roots beneath the mixed forest with hemlocks that seem to be really dropping a lot of needles even though it rained there recently. Must be the adelgids.

"Alas, we did not bring the camera, but one compiler stated you would need a good bit of magnification to really show this flower spike with any detail. We weren't looking for these but were checking to see if the goodyera pubescens [rattlesnake plantain] were blooming yet. This makes one look low to the ground and at the trail edges.

"Lilly Bluff overlooks the intersection of Clear Creek and the Obed River."

Thanks, Bob and Lynne

•

eagle spotting

•


Bob Davis, a pilot that flies out of Island Airport located within a mile of downtown Knoxville, reported seeing a bald eagle recently.

Bob e-mailed, "Today, while towing the two-seat glider over Williams Golf Course [east of the city], I flew by one mature bald eagle that was soaring under the clouds."

•