Wabash River flood just after crest, April 29, 2011

 Wabash River from pedestrian bridge, Lafayette.  Looking upstream.

 Downstream view.

 From Tapawingo Park, West Lafayette.  Debris and wet pavement marks the high point of the flood.  The water is receding.

View of courthouse and Amtrak staging station, from pedestrian bridge looking east.

 Low lying part of trail flooded on east side of river.

Gaging station at Brown Street.  Scale reads at 21.65 feet.  River crested a few minutes earlier at 21.73 feet. The Wabash has been higher here only 39 times since records began to be kept, here is a link:

Link to Wabash River levels:

Pictures taken about 3 pm. April 29, 2011.

Mayapple flowers and bluebells

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) and bluebells (Mertensia virginica) on a steep slope at Prophet's Rock.  April 28, 2010.  Later, a single fruit will appear where the flower is now.

Link to post on mayapple in fruit:

Fiddleheads of Christmas Fern

Fiddleheads of Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), on wooded slope facing Wabash River, near Happy Hollow.  Tippecanoe County, April 23, 2011.


Link to Polystichum acrostichoides:

Link to Polystichum acrostichoides:

Link to Polystichum acrostichoides:

Mertensia in Happy Hollow Park

Mertensia virginica is blooming, this is in Happy Hollow Park, on high ground near a ravine, April 23, 2011.  A bumblebee visits one of the flowers.

Link to Mertensia:

Link to previous post on Mertensia:

Link to previous post on Mertensia:

Catkins of Carpinus caroliniana

This Carpinus caroliniana stands at the entrance to the Scifres-Maier Woods at Celery Bog Park  The catkins of spring hang from the twigs.  Picture taken April 20, 2011.

Link to Carpinus caroliniana:


Link to Carpinus caroliniana:

Link to Carpinus caroliniana:

Link to catkin:

Black morels

This black morel (Morchella sp.) popped up in the woods at Celery Bog Park.  Lots of them here, a chilly day but wet with recent rain, April 20, 2011.

The green leafy plant is wild geranium.

Link to black morels: 

Link to last year's post on morels:

First redbud of spring

Redbud started flowering Sunday, April 17, 2011.  This is at the Amtrak loading station, Lafayette.

Link to previous post on redbud (Cercis canadensis):

Link to redbud (Cercis canadensis):

Cow parsnip

Cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), at the bank of Burnett Creek, about two and a half miles NW of Battleground, April 15, 2011.

Link to cow parsnip:

Link to cow parsnip:

Spring Cress (Cardamine bulbosa)

Spring cress (Cardamine bulbosa), near the bank of the Tippecanoe River.  At the Pond n' River DNR public access site, Pulaski County, April 13, 2011.

Link to Cardamine bulbosa:

Link to Cardamine bulbosa:

Cardamine bulbosa closely resembles Cardamine douglasii, which grows in somewhat drier places. 

Link to previous post on Cardamine douglasii:

Garter snake

This garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) sat very still for the camera at Pond n' River DNR public access site on the Tippecanoe River, Pulaski County. Picture taken April 13, 2011.

Previous post on garter snake:

Previous post on garter snake:

Previous post on garter snake:

Anemone americana (Hepatica)

Hepatica at the State Highway 119 bridge over the Tippecanoe River, south of Winamac in Pulaski County.  One of the most sought after wildflowers of spring, this Hepatica has rounded leaves which now defines it as Anemone americana.  Hepatica that has pointed leaves is now Anemone acutiloba.

Another view of the State Road 119 bridge.  Pictures taken April 13, 2011.


Link to previous post on Hepatica acutiloba:

Link to Anemone americana:

Link to Anemone americana:

Bloodroot

Bloodroot flowering in a Fulton County woodlot, April 13, 2011.  Bloodroot is Sanguinaria canadensis.  The leaves behind the bloodroot flowers are Dicentra cucullaria.

Link to previous post on Sanguinaria canadensis:

Link to Sanguinaria canadensis:

Glechoma hederacea

Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea) at the Wabash River Heritage Trail, on the Lafayette side near the Amtrak station.  Picture taken April 13, 2011.

Link to Glechoma hederacea:

Link to Glechoma hederacea:

Puttyroot orchid with Carex

The distinctive leaves of puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale) lie on the forest floor, surrounding a clump of Carex.   Possibly the Carex is Carex jamesii.  In a Fulton County woodlot, April 13, 2011.

Link to previous post on Aplectrum hyemale:

Link to Aplectrum hyemale:

Link to Carex jamesii:

Link to Carex jamesii:

Poison hemlock

This is poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), along the Wabash River Heritage Trail, near downtown Lafayette. Don't eat it! A very common plant. Picture taken April 13, 2011.

Link to Conium:

Link to Conium maculatum:

Link to Conium maculatum:

Link to another view of Conium maculatum in West Lafayette:

Sochan

Sochan (Rudbeckia laciniata). It's up and ready to eat. This is the good stuff! This is a picture of sochan near the Wabash River in Tippecanoe County. Look for it where the river floods at times of high water. Eat it now while it's fresh out of the ground. By summer it will taste like a mouthful of turpentine. Picture taken April 10, 2011.

WARNING: Don't eat the poison hemlock! That's up and green too. Make sure you can tell the difference.

Link to sochan video:

Link to sochan:

Link to Rudbeckia laciniata:

Galerina mushrooms

These Galerina marginalis mushrooms are in Celery Bog Park, West Lafayette. This kind of mushroom is deadly poisonous. Picture taken April 5, 2011.

Link to Galerina marginata:

Link to Galerina marginata:

Link to Galerina marginata:

Mayapple

This is at Celery Bog Park in West Lafayette, mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) leaves are popping out of the ground. Picture taken today, April 10, 2011.

Link to previous post on mayapple:

Link to mayapple:

Spring Beauty and Toothwort getting ready to flower

In the Scifres-Maier Woods in Celery Bog Park, a toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) and a Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) are just about ready to flower. These are two of our commonest spring wildflowers. Rust fungus is growing on the Spring Beauty, adding some color to the natural world close to the ground. The rust that lives on Spring Beauty is called Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae. Picture taken April 5, 2011.

Link to previous post on toothwort:

Link to previous post on spring beauty rust:

Link to spring beauty:

Another post on toothwort:

Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae is Latin for "Mary Wilson's rust". G.W. Clinton gave this fungus its scientific name. Here is a link to the story of Mary Wilson:

Phellinus robiniae on Robinia pseudoacacia

This shelf fungus is Phellinus robiniae. The tree is a black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia). The vine climbing up the black locust tree is Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).

REVISION 1/12/2013:  The vine is not Japanese honeysuckle, rather it is wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)


 The pale blue green spots on the top of the shelf are lichens. This tree is in a fencerow in Shelby County near Shelbyville.


A view of the underside of the same Phellinus. Pictures taken April 1, 2011.

Link to Phellinus robiniae:

Link to Phellinus robiniae:

Link to Phellinus robiniae:

Link to previous post on Euonymus fortunei:

Link to previous post on black locust trees:

Link to lichens:

Wintercreeper

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is an invasive plant that is common, especially in southern parts of Indiana. These fencerow trees are covered with Japanese honeysuckle vines.

REVISION 1/17/2013:  These vines are not Japanese honeysuckle, but rather they are wintercreeper vines (Euonymus fortunei) which is another invasive vine that is a big problem in Indiana.


Both wintercreeper and Japanese honeysuckle vines keep their leaves throughout the Indiana winter, staying more or less green. These pictures were taken in Shelby County near Shelbyville, April 1, 2011.


A closer look at the wintercreeper vine seen in the previous picture.

Link to Euonymus fortunei: