Crane Flys

Crane Fly Orchid

On a trip to Charleston, WV to watch a grandkid play baseball, I had the opportunity to hike through Little Creek Park. I have found some new flowers there in the past and enjoy this opportunity to hit the trails in a very urban area. I quickly spotted Crane Fly Orchids in bloom. After some pictures I continued and saw these unusual orchids all along the trail I was on for a mile or more. I spotted a box Turtle, Starry Campion, strange mushrooms and others. 

Crane Fly Orchid

Crane Fly Orchids

 

Eastern Box Turtle- Although mostly terrestrial,
this turtle is in the pond turtle family

Starry Campion

River, Ridge and ...Roadside??

I spent this past Sunday after church hiking along the Little Bluestone River near Camp Creek State Park and Brush Creek Nature Preserve. I was hoping to find a few more wild flowers that would get me to the 300+ mark for wild flowers photographed and identified in one calendar year. I had long thought that along the river, there would be several different flowers that I had not found at home. At first it was all Asters and Goldenrod just like everywhere else. But then I found several flowers that are fairly common but I had not seen yet. They had just about finished blooming.

#298- Wingstem

The first was Wingstem, a plant very similar to Yellow Crown Beard,
which I had found close to home. I started seeing the distinct winged stems but no flowers but also noticed the leaves were alternate rather than opposite, so I began to search in earnest. I finally found a bloom or two that were almost gone.

#299- Mild Water Pepper

The next flower was one of the Smartweeds, but the wide open flowers made it hard to pin down, but I believe that it is Mild Water Pepper.



I found these two box turtles and the back one had gotten himself in to trouble with his lady friend and needed to be rolled off his back. I'm not sure if she smacked him over backwards or he was just awkward.

                                                      Little Bluestone River

A wildflower that I believe is an Aster, but I can not nail down the identity. It has a periwinkle blue center and petals. 

#300- Zigzag Goldenrod

After the river, I swung by Camp Creek State Park  and hiked up the Mash Creek Falls Trail. There I found a Broad Leaved or Zigzag Goldenrod, which makes number 300 for the year. This one is an easy ID, but before this year it was just another one of those yellow fall flowers. So the "Big Year"  has forced me to learn much more about many of the wildflowers that I have always enjoyed.

#301- American Bell Flower

I then ran across American Bell Flower along the road to Mash Fork Falls. I have found many, many flowers just cruising slowly along forest and back roads in my region.

#302- Tick Trefoil (non-native)

Fungi from Camp Creek

September- Flowers, Ferns and Fungi

September is one of my favorite months. I was born in September, I enjoy the beginning of the Fall season and even the first few crisp nights with light frosts. September is also a great wildflower month. I rambled around the farm here one day and then went to Brush Creek Preserve for an early Labor Day morning hike. There were several flowers and other sights.

The first one, Beechdrops, was behind my home. It has no chlorophyll and gains nurishment from the roots of Beech trees.

#274- Beechdrops

Beechdrops

Virginia Bugleweed has green stems, wider leaves and smaller flowers than American Water Horehound.

#274- Virginia Bugleweed 

#275- Wrinkled Leaf Goldenrod

#276- False Buckwheat 

#277- Sow Thistle

#278- Small Red Morning Glory (non-native)

 I found this Lobelia on Brush Creek and first thought it was Spiked Lobelia. But, now I believe it is a light variety of Great Blue Lobelia, because the leaves are up in the flowers. Still looking at other possibilities. The next one is darker but has two spikes on same plant.

 Grape Fern

Fungi

Mushroom 

End of June Hike

Drove a couple miles from the house and spent a couple of hours hiking old logging roads. Here are several wildflowers and mushrooms. Great Laurel is West Virginia's state flower

#158- Rhododendron or Great Laurel 

Great Laurel 

#159- Whorled Loosestrife 

Notice the Hoverfly in the middle of this picture 

#160- Lyre-leaved Rock Cress

This is a beautiful flower that I found at the site of an old home. When I find old home sites, I generally hunt for bottles and the bottles I found here date the house to a least the 60's. This is Spotted Henbit and it had naturalized all over the site. Probally not widespread enough to count for my Big Year. 

#161- Red Twig Dogwood 

#162- Winterberry Holly 

#163- Sweet Pea (non-native)

And then four mushrooms