State Line Adiantum, Day 2

June 13 was humid and cloudy. Morgan and I started at Nottingham County Park, where a logging operation is underway to remove pitch pine snags from the "front country". Fortunately, the Feldspar and Buck Trails remained open, giving us a path to maidenhair country.

We started by wading up Black Run from the Feldspar Trail to examine some small streamside colonies. Then we backtracked, went up the Feldspar Trail, and after a brief detour to examine the Mystery Hole, cut across Firebreak 10 and the serpentine seep to reach a streamside site on the Buck Trail. While Morgan was doing site assessment and soil samples, I explored down the length of Victory Run and documented a number of Adiantum pedatum colonies. The species is more abundant in the park than I had realized; perhaps it's less visible because there are fewer trails along drainages when compared to Goat Hill. The streamside was otherwise not especially interesting, except for a few rattlesnake ferns (Botrypus virginianus). A Chamaelirium luteum turned up near the site; I haven't yet found a site of high local density for these as at Goat Hill.

After a brief lunch, we ran southwest for Pilot Barrens, examining the perimeter of the two openings on the site, particularly the western one. Maidenhair was reasonably common in shaded areas; we had a false start near the entrance, and then found a larger and more interesting patch an an area of grassland reverting to greenbrier and brush. Here, there was essentially no canopy, and the maidenhairs growing on the side of a small gully had rotated their ultimate segments out of the plane of the blade, presumably a response to reduce sun exposure. Some daytime moths and odonates were present on the site; in addition to the usual skimmers, etc., I found a clubtail (ID'd by @scottking as a black-shouldered spinyleg) in a stiltgrass meadow near the Conowingo Creek. A small box turtle turned up in the brushy area.

One of the trees in the savanna forming the eastern opening appears to be a tupelo; not unknown on the barrens, but a little surprising to me in a savanna. On closer examination, the slopes around the eastern opening also proved to be rich in maidenhair ferns, disclosing one patch so large we decided to return for it on another day.

Posted on June 17, 2018 07:35 PM by choess choess

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Devil's Bit (Chamaelirium luteum)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 10:08 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Rattlesnake Fern (Botrypus virginianus)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 11:09 AM EDT

Description

3

Photos / Sounds

What

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 11:43 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 12:24 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina ssp. carolina)

Observer

choess

Date

June 2018

Photos / Sounds

What

Roundleaf Thoroughwort (Eupatorium pubescens)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 05:47 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 03:40 PM EDT

Description

Argia moesta?

Photos / Sounds

What

Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 03:49 PM EDT

Description

Enormous site on the slope below the grasslands.

Photos / Sounds

What

Crocus Geometer Moths (Genus Xanthotype)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 04:01 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 05:43 PM EDT

Description

Lone tupelo in the savanna.

Photos / Sounds

What

Large Lace-border Moth (Scopula limboundata)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 05:46 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 04:03 PM EDT

Description

Widow skimmer.

Photos / Sounds

What

Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 03:39 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Black-shouldered Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spinosus)

Observer

choess

Date

June 13, 2018 03:35 PM EDT

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