Diario de charlie

This field is meant to represent the best ID complex when a plant ID spans multiple taxa. (IE: you know the plant is one of two or three species in a genus, but don't want to identify it only to genus, grouping it with many others). As with my other similar journal entries, i will gradually fill this journal entry with possible entries and links, until iNat has functionality to search and query from existing values.

Caulophyllum thalctroides/gigantea - they intergrade and aren't good species but somehow got split. Anyone surprised?
Lonicera morrowii/tatarica
Parthenocissus quinquefolia/inserta - can't really tell these two apart without tendril cups, or at least I can't.
Pinus ponderosa/jeffreyi - without cones these are difficult/impossible to tell apart in parts of California
Solidago altissima/canadensis - may want to add gigantea too, is the glaucous stem visible all of the growing season?
Polypodium virginianum/appalachianum
Carex vesicariae group - there are several Carex groups between genus and species that haven't been added to iNat, for now I am adding this one which I use often, in the future we may wish to add them more formally to the taxonomy.
Toxicodendron radicans/rydbergii

http://www.inaturalist.org/observation_fields/7184
(see also, for spiders: http://www.inaturalist.org/journal/arachnojoe/11424-about-the-field-holding-bin-spider)

This year seemed to a nice albeit early start to foliage season at the end of August when red maples turned vibrant colors along the wetlands. Unusually cool weather moved the season along quickly. Then the hurricanes formed. While they spared Vermont any of the horrific damage that occurred elsewhere, they seemed to have pushed a bunch of hot air and dry high-pressure systems over Vermont. There's been a string of very warm days likely to culminate in very hot weather next weekend. Then, by the following weekend, more normal cold and perhaps a hard freeze. The trees in Montpelier and other nearby areas seem to be turning golden brown rather than red - still pretty but hardly as vibrant as some years. The season also still seems very early, despite the warm, the dry conditions are causing the trees to drop their leaves, or else maybe they just committed too soon and can't take advantage.

If you see any foliage - pretty or dull, please do add it! It's important to document these 'weird' years. On a more bright note too, the asters of all kinds are LOVING this weather and the marsh aster, flat-topped aster, and Calico aster are all about as pretty as I've ever seen them. Feel free to add fields of aster to this project, they count as fall color too :)

We drove up to Elmore today and there is definitely nicer fall color starting up that way. The red maples seem to be off to a promising start. The sugar maples are getting holes in the leaves from Maple Leafcutter Moths which is part of why their color isn't as nice this year. (see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8058201 ) . I am interested in their range and effects so will add those to this project as well. Also I noticed the sugar maples have lots of seeds which are good news for the maple population and for the squirrels, but bad news for color as well since they are drab brown and cover many of the trees.
The birches don't look great this year either, but we will see.