April, 2013 Plant hunt summary

With the cold temperatures during the month of April spring arrived later than previous years.  A total of 77 species were recorded in April, compared to 210 found in April, 2012.  April matched 2009 with the number of plant species observed.

Some spring flowering shrubs - mainly willow species were recorded as new additions for Simcoe and Muskoka counties with 17 new records found for Muskoka.  Of interest were Early saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis) found in a shrubby rock barren in Muskoka on April 30th.  This plant is regionally rare in Ecoregion 7E, but not 6E, where it was found.

One new record was added to the database - Carolina poplar (Populus canadensis).

To download the summary table of the plant records (PDF file) observed across 17 counties surveyed; Brant, Elgin, Dufferin, Essex, Haldimand, Halton, Hamilton, Kent, Middlesex, Muskoka, Oxford, Parry Sound, Peel, Simcoe, Waterloo, Wellington, and York - please go to;

http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/April%202013%20summary.pdf

A special thanks to Brian Popelier for surveying Halton, Hamilton, and Haldimand counties on behalf of the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

The field visit to Sudden Tract has been postponed until Sat. May 11th.

Last week's mystery plant was Bristly buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus var. hispidus) which is ranked S3 by the NHIC.  This is a rare variety of the pure stand Hispid buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus) which is found near or in wetlands.  The photo depicts the seed pod with individual achenes.

This week's mystery plant is shown below;