Old Field/Meadow Findings

1) Blue Jay

(Passeriformes, Corvidae, Cyanocitta cristata)

-omnivorous songbird

-has a pronounced crest on the top of its head

-the blue if its feathers result from light interference

2) Tall Sunflower

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Helianthus giganteus L.)

-flowers large with ray florets golden yellow and disk yellow to dull yellow

-Stem rough and slightly tinged with red

-most commonly found in swampy soils or wet woodlands

3) Closed Gentian

(Gentianales, Gentianaceae, Gentiana rubricaulis Schwein.)

-blue flower that blooms in the fall

-leaves are opposi

te; flowers have 5 parts

-likes moist fields and open woods

4) Small, White Aster

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)

-very small flowers; plant is 2-5 ft. high

-blooms mainly in the autumn

-can be hard to identify

-flowers have more than 5 parts; fuzzy stems

5) Heath Aster

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Symphyotrichum ericoides)

-also called Good-by Meadow

-white flowers with LOTS of parts

-leaves are narrow and pointed; have hairy stems

-bloom from July to October

6) Waterhorehound/American Bugleweed

(Lamiales, Lamiaceae, Llycopus americanus)

-found in every state except Hawaii and Nevada!

-is in the mint family, but does not have aromatic leaves

-white flowers grow up the stalk

-highly lobed leaves near base (can throw you off!); lightly toothed leaves at the top of the stem

7) New England Aster

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

-purple flowers with many parts

-get 2-5 ft. tall

-clasping leaves are smooth

-need full sunlight

8) Mountain Mint

(Lamiales, Lamiceae, Pycnanthemum virginianum)

-green or reddish stems are strongly four-angled and have scattered white hairs along the ridges

-can be a very bushy plant

-have small, white flowers on flattened heads at the ends of the upper stems

-root system creates rhizomes

-leaves are very minty and quite potent

Bog Findings

1) Evergreen Wood Fern

(Polypodiales, Dryopteridaceae, Dryopteris intermedia)

-likes moist, rich woods

-evergreen fern with lacy fronds

-very hardy plant

2) Marsh Fern

(Polypodiales, Thelypteridaceae, Thelypteris palustris Schott)

-rounded fern with a smooth stem

-found in bogs

-spores are found on underside of fronds

3) Earth Ball Fungus

(Boletales, Sclerodermataceae, Scleroderma citrinum)

-very poisonous mushroom

-rounded, light yellow ball mushroom

-rough, segmented flesh

4) White Snakeroot

(Asterales, Asteraceae, Ageratina altissima)

-highly poisonous plant; is transfered to humans

through milk from cows who have eaten it

(killed Abraham Lincoln's mother)

-opposite, serrated leaves

-bright white flowers with 5 parts

5) Orange Fairy Cup

( Pezizales, Pyronemataceae, Aleuria aurantia)

-edible mushroom

-bright orange and curled along the edges (can look like

orange peels)

-found in clay soils near the end of summer/beginning

of autumn

6) Bleeding Fairy Helmet

(Agaricales, Mycenaceae, Mycena haematopus)

-obtains by consuming decomposing organic material

-helmet shaped and redish in color

-scalloped cap edges

-generally grow in clusters

7) Swamp Dewberry

(Rosales, Rosaceae, Rubus hispidus)

-has small, white flowers with 5 parts

-red and bristled twigs

-shiny, serrated leaves

-can be made into an astringent

8) Spring Peeper

(Anura, Hylidae, Pseudacris crucifer)

-live in forests near semi-permanent or permanent wetlands

-tan or brown with a black cross on their back

-males have a vocal sac that inflates and deflates with sound