Field trip to Black Oak Heritage Park, Windsor, Ontario

On September 6th, 2014 I participated in an annual field trip led by the Field Botanists of Ontario.  The trip was well attended and demonstrated some of the unique Black Oak savannah habitat found in the Windsor area.  A couple of rare plants were added to the official EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database such as provincially rare Tall Thoroughwort (Eupatorium altissimum).

Tall Thoroughwort

Photo: Dave Jolly

Special concern Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii) was a new tree species for this section of the Park.  This contributes to the 500+ trees recorded for Essex county.  In fact, this oak species is one of the most dominant trees in Essex county within woodlots anywhere on the Clay plain in this region.  All other Shumard Oak reside primarily within Essex and Lambton counties extending eastward to Chatham-Kent.  Of the 10 sites were visited between June 18 and September 2, 2014 only these regional municipalities had Shumard Oak.  Previous Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) reports suggested that the range of this species reaches Niagara region, but these records have are now regarded as suspected hybrids based on visual identification traits; acorns, leaf buds, leaf shape, tomentum (tufts of hairs located on the leaf underside between the mid-rib and veins), etc.  To date, none of the Niagara region trees examined have been confirmed as 100% pure Shumard Oak.  Instead, they are likely hybrids between Red Oak (Quercus rubra) and Swamp Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) since both species were present at the sites investigated.  The resulting hybrid is Q. rubra x Q. palustris if it exhibits more Red Oak traits and Q. palustris x Q. rubra if it exhibits more Swamp Pin Oak traits.  Genetic studies would ultimately clear up any misconceptions about the true distribution of Shumard Oak in Canada.

New to the database was Swamp Lousewort (Pedicularis lanceolata), which was adjacent to a large patch of Colicroot (Aletris farinosa).  With the high biodiversity of  Tallgrass prairie mixed with Black Oak savannah species.  The most exciting discovery was a new record for Essex county of endangered Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) to add to the Ontario Recovery Strategy series.

Spotted Wintergreen

Photo: Dave Jolly

April, 2014 Plant hunt summary

A record cold winter has resulted in a late spring with most flowering plants blooming 2 - 3 weeks behind schedule.  With only 41 species observed in April we matched the last late spring with 43 species recorded in 2007.  That means floristically, southern Ontario hasn't experienced such a cool and late spring in 7 years.  Trilliums (Trillium spp.) are only just beginning to bloom, when in normal years, they would be in full bloom by now - i.e., May 1st.  The only flowering plant observed that didn't seem to be affected by the late spring was the ephimeral Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa).

Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa)

Photo: Brian Popelier

Rare plant surveys began with provincially rare Harbinger of spring (ranked S3 in Ontario by the Natural Heritage Information Centre) on April 13th with a total of 116 plants counted in Elgin county.  An age structure analysis revealed 44 two-leaved plants, which are more mature and tend to produce 2 or more flowering stalks.  This population will be revisited later this month to count the total number of flowers that have gone to seed and if any new, younger plants have emerged.  A number of rare plant surveys will be carried out this year within the Grand River watershed on behalf of the Grand River Conservation Authority.

A total of 221 plants were observed in April across 6 counties, Brant, Elgin, Haldimand, Hamilton, Oxford and Norfolk.  All 403 Elgin county records were donated to the Otter Valley Naturalists (OVN) for their Elgin County Natural Heritage Inventory (NAI), which is hosted by Carolinian Canada Coalition.  A master plant species list of all plants observed in Elgin county since the inception of the EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database in 2006 was donated to OVN for the Elgin county NAI.  This amounted to 17,022 records; 127 families, 417 genera, 758 species, or taxa (7 varieties, 7 hybrids); 104 regionally rare (Ecoregion 7E), 102 locally rare (Elgin county), 22 provincially rare, 9 Species at Risk (provincial & federal).  The OVN will use the EARTHQUEST master plant list of Elgin county to build the official list for the NAI.

New records for the county of Oxford in April, 2014 were Cutleaf toothwort (Dentaria concatenata), Giant blue cohosh (Caulophyllum giganteum) and Plantain leaved sedge (Carex plantaginea).

To view the April, 2014 monthly summary report please go to; http://earthquestcanada.ca/April2014summary.pdf

August, 2013 Plant hunt summary

August, 2013 was a fantastic month with 15 new records for the master EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database between two contributors; Brian Popelier of the Bruce Trail Conservancy and myself.  A total of 2492 records were submitted.  We also broke the old record of 339 species in 2009 with 361 total species observed in August.  The highlights were: the discovery of two small populations of federally special concern & provincially threatened Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) in the upper Bruce peninsula by Brian on August 13th.  I visited these populations on August 27th and submitted my observations to the author of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recovery strategy for Houghton's goldenrod, which is due to be published sometime after late June, 2014.

Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii)

Photo: Dave Jolly

Other highlights that Brian discovered for the database include; Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterloepis) also in Bruce county, Smooth wild rye (Elymus villosus), Straw coloured flat sedge (Cyperus strigosus) of Niagara region and Swamp valerian (Valeriana uliginosa) in Grey county.  

Brian is also credited with adding the 100,000th official plant record to the database in Niagara region with Pale smartweed (Polygonum lapathifolium) observed on August 29th.  Congratulations Brian for making that contribution, which will go down in EARTHQUEST history as very significant!  Since his first contribution on June 7, 2009 Brian has provided 7629 total records, which is the most out of over 90 contributors (55 of which were students or staff from EARTHQUEST).  

Of the 12 counties surveyed most of my new records for the database were wetland plants found in sensitive coastal wetlands such as Alpine rush (Juncus alpinoarticulatus), Fringed gentian (Gentiana vigata), Hard stemmed bulrush (Scirpus acutus), Marsh mermaidweed (Proserpinaca palustris), Marsh muhly (Muhlenbergia glomerata) and Purple agalinis (Agalinis paupercula).

Fringed gentian (Gentiana vigata)

Photo: Dave Jolly

Additionally, a total of 13 provincially, regionally and locally rare plants were observed in the lower Bruce peninsula on behalf of a great environmental non-profit organization: the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation; 31 records of provincially and federally special concern Tuberous indian plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum), 5 records of provincially rare plants such as Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris), 30 records of Stiff yellow flax (Linum medium) and 9 records of Blueleaf willow (Salix myricoides). Tuberous Indian plantain, Dwarf lake iris, Stiff yellow flax and Blueleaf willow are also listed as rare in the Checklist of Vascular Plants for Bruce and Grey Counties, published by the Owen Sound Field Naturalists in 2003. Ten regionally rare (within the Mixed deciduous forest region: Ecoregion 6E – source; EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database) plants were discovered within surveyed Ecological Land Classification polygons; Fringed gentian, Kalm’s St. Johnswort (Hypericum kalmii), Marsh St. Johnswort (Triadenum fraseri), Marsh mermaidweed, Greater arrowgrass (Triglochin maritimus), Slender or Lesser arrowgrass (Triglochin palustre), Fen beakrush (Rynchospora capillacea), Low calla mint (Calamintha arkansana), Sticky false tofeldia (Tofeldia glutinosa) and Stiff yellow flax. Additionally, Upland white aster (Solidago asteroides), Fringed gentian, Kalm’s St. Johnswort, Marsh St. Johnswort, Marsh mermaidweed, Greater arrowgrass, Slender or Lesser arrowgrass, Fen beakrush, Low calla mint and Stiff yellow flax are locally rare within Bruce county.

To view the August 2013 month summary please refer to; http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/August2013summary.pdf