Lithics and Flowers

Because we are expecting another ice storm, I wanted to get out this evening for a little bit. I have been interested in Native American artifacts for many years and decided to walk to the garden, where for many years, I have found many arrowheads and related debitage (the waste material produced during lithic reduction and the production of chipped stone tools). I have worked with a local Archaeologist to list the site as an official West Virginia Archaeological Site. It contains Late, Middle and  Early Archaic (8000 B.C. to 1000 B.C.) points and tools. I'm no expert, but I do enjoy looking for, collecting and documenting these artifacts, especially in my own back yard. 

         Today, I was fortunate to find a very nice Savannah River point. 

Savannah River Point plus Debitage of Various Material

Points Found in the Garden Over the Years

 While washing the point off in a rain barrel, I noticed tiny white flowers around the barrel. Another flower for the Wildflower Big Year.          #2- Hairy Bittercress 

Hairy Bittercress 

It is not native but is now ubiquitous to most of the USA. Hairy Bittercress is usually considered an invasive lawn weed, is commonly eaten and has an interesting method of seed dispersal. When the seedpods are ripe the seeds are dispersed explosively for up to 1 m if the plants are shaken by the wind or by weeding operations. The seeds become sticky when wet and can be spread on tools and clothing.  It likes wet areas which may explain why they were blooming this early and only around the barrel. I set out this year to photograph and list every wild flower that I can. In the process, I will learn much about flowers that I usually ignore.
     

Winter Hike on a Warm Day

Out for a three mile ramble today, limbering up while waiting for spring. I went to Camp Creek State Forest where, in a few weeks, the best display that I know of anywhere of Trout Lilly's will be blooming, plus dozens of others. I am hoping to find a white variation of the Trout Lilly there this spring.  What was I looking for today? Nothing really, but I was looking the whole time. I did not see one bird the whole afternoon even though it was sunny and in the 50's. I find myself watching for birds more nowadays, probably because I have read several birding books lately. I looked for the winter leaves of wildflowers and photographed a couple of waterfalls. 

        Camp Creek has a great trail system that uses many forest roads as well. I passed through marshy areas created by beaver ponds, damp hillsides that will be covered with Hepatica, Wild Ginger and Trout Lilly's, dry forest that will have Yellow Lady Slippers and piney flats that have Trailing Arbutus and Painted Trillium. All-in-all it is a great place to hike and the best part; 10 miles from home. 

Find information and park maps here: Camp Creek State Park and Forest.  

Going Down Rabbit Holes

Spent the day (all church services canceled because of weather) searching the internet for leads on Snow Trillium. Trillium's are one of my favorite wildflowers and this is a West Virginia native that I would love to see. So I am trying to narrow down a spot in one of the six West Virginia counties that it is found to look for it. In the process, I ran across a picture of Walking Fern; this reminds me of a cluster that I saw on a rock ledge at Brush Creek Preserve just a few days ago.

Walking Fern, Brush Creek Preserve January 27, 2013

         I started down that rabbit hole to see how rare they are in West Virginia, but never found anything definitive. While doing that I found a picture of Adders Tongue Fern which led me down another hole. I have  a plant near my home that I assumed was Adders Mouth Orchid, and each year I look for a bloom and only find a tongue shaped stem. Every year, for five or more years, I was frustrated, waiting for that crazy orchid to bloom thinking it was too dry, too hot, too cold or too something. Mystery solved, its a fern, dummy. Down another hole; how many others are confused? Not much about that it seems. How common is this fern? Not much there either. Any one have a similar experience?

Adders Mouth Orchid that I have yet to see

     

Adders Tongue FERN   from near my home

  After a day chasing rabbits, I still don't know where to look for Snow Trillium (yet) but I have learned something new, which should be a daily goal  for each of us. 

My journey took me somewhat further down the rabbit-hole than I'd intended and, though I dirtied my fluffy white tail, I've emerged... enlightened.    Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Bitter Cold, Snow, Grandchildren and a Library

Woke up this Groundhog day and it was 1 degree Fahrenheit and snowing. I had two of the grand babies so we headed for the library to find something to keep us busy for the day. After they got a dinosaur book and a Judy Moody movie  I picked up a new book to read; A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All by Luke Dempsey. 
         I still refuse to become obsessed with birding even as I spent half the day with binoculars watching the feeders for Red Polls and Pine Siskins; two far north Finches that have been seen further south this year. I believe I enjoy the genre as much as anything; a combination of nature, travel, culture, adventure and wit. That genre includes several books I have read recently:
The Big Year, by Mark Obmascik 
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose 
Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents by Jim Malusa
And many fly fishing books by John Gierach, M.R. Montgomery and James Prosek.  I've also added to my wish list Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust, and Lunacy by Eric Hansen and The Scent of Scandal: Greed, Betrayal, and the World's Most Beautiful Orchid by Craig Pittman.
         I also spent a little while reviewing February pictures from the last eight years in Picasa, the photo organizer I use. I had convinced myself that I should see some wildflowers before February is over, but I could only find pictures of snow, ice storms and occasionally, a crocus. 
So, I leave you with one of my favorite waterfall pictures. I took it last year during winter runoff at Brush Creek Preserve and it hangs in my office and is the desktop on my computer and iPad. 
That March day was great;  I found three Trillium, one was new for me,Trillium sulcatum (furrowed wakerobin). So I am looking forward to March, which I can now say is just a month away.