Monday, September 27, 2010

Amanita muscaria var. guessowii

These mushrooms are Amanita muscaria var. guessowii, growing under pine trees in Martell Forest, Tippecanoe County. Pictures taken Sept. 19, 2010.


Thursday, September 23, 2010

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar



Caterpillar of the Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae), at Martell Forest, Tippecanoe County, September 19, 2010.

Link to Lophocampa caryae:


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Bur oak at Shamrock Park



This big bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) at Shamrock Park in Lafayette has got thousands of acorns this year. Pictures taken September 14, 2010.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Jerusalem artichoke

The Jerusalem artichoke is actually a kind of sunflower, Helianthus tuberosus. This rather large colony of Helianthus tuberosus is along the paved trail along Cumberland Ave. west of U.S. Highway 52 in West Lafayette. Pictures taken September 12, 2010.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Sugarberry tree

This sugarberry tree (Celtis laevigata) is planted on the Purdue campus along Russell St. near Harrison St. A very close relative to the sugarberry tree is the hackberry tree (Celtis occidentalis) which is very common in the wild in the Lafayette area.

Link to Celtis laevigata:

Fruits of the sugarberry tree are indistinguishable from the fruits of the hackberry trees. Most of the fruit is a hard inedible seed, but the thin layer of pulp around the seed has a taste and a texture remarkably like a date. Sugarberry leaves are smaller and smoother than hackberry leaves.


This is an odd sugarberry tree indeed, here are a few odd branches that have the look of the larger-leaved hackberry tree.

The warty-textured bark of the sugarberry tree is also exactly the same as that of the hackberry tree. Pictures taken September 7, 2010.


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Garter Snake

This garter snake was along a trail in Southwestway Park in Indianapolis, Marion County. I approached close enough to photograph it and it never moved. Not near any water. Could possibly be a Butler's Garter Snake (Thamnophus butleri). Or maybe not. Picture taken Sept. 6, 2010.


Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Eupatorium perfoliatum

This boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is at Southwestway Park in Marion County. It's the Eupatorium with perfoliate leaves. Eupatorium perfoliatum is harder to find than some of the other bonesets like Eupatorium altissimum. This is in a rather unusual place as it is a fairly dry slope under a power line, usually this species is found in wet spots. Picture taken Sept. 6, 2010.



The sunflower-looking plants in the background are possibly Rudbeckia triloba.