Archivos de Diario para mayo 2024

09 de mayo de 2024

Yellow Archangel in New England

The yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) is native to Europe and western Asia but it is widely introduced in Europe, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, including New England. Lamium galeobdolon consists of four closely-related subspecies:

  1. Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum
  2. Lamium galeobdolon subsp. flavidum
  3. Lamium galeobdolon subsp. galeobdolon
  4. Lamium galeobdolon subsp. montanum

Subspecies argentatum, the variegated yellow archangel, is highly invasive. In the states of Washington and Oregon, it is listed as a Class B Noxious Weed and therefore banned from sale by state law. Subspecies argentatum is present in New England. Other subspecies may also be naturalized in New England.

According to Flora Novae Angliae (2011), Lamium galeobdolon is confined to Maine and Massachusetts in New England. However, as of March 2024, there are hundreds of research-grade iNaturalist observations of Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum spread across all New England states. According to New Flora of Vermont (2015), Lamium galeobdolon is said to be rare in Vermont (apparently based on a single specimen collected in Chittenden County in 2008), but as of March 2024, there are dozens of research-grade iNaturalist observations of Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum scattered across ten counties in Vermont. These data suggest Lamium galeobdolon subsp. argentatum is now widespread (and increasing) throughout Vermont and all of New England. For links to observation pages and summaries of observations counts, see the following document:

For more information, including numerous reliable sources, see the article on Lamium galeobdolon in wikipedia.

Publicado el 09 de mayo de 2024 a las 02:02 PM por trscavo trscavo | 6 observaciones | 4 comentarios | Deja un comentario

14 de mayo de 2024

Vermont Protected Lands Database

The Vermont Protected Lands Database is a public database of protected lands in Vermont. By definition, a protected land has "some level of protection against permanent conversion to developed land uses". The database includes both public lands (national forests, state parks, town forests, etc.) and privately-owned lands. Many (but not all) of the parcels in the Vermont Protected Lands Database are publicly-accessible lands. A protected land does not necessarily imply public access.

Getting Started

  1. Click "View Map" (dismiss warning: "Too Many Records")
  2. Click the magnifying glass in the top righthand corner
  3. Search: Colchester, VT
  4. Hover over a dark blue parcel to view its name
  5. Click on a dark blue parcel to view its metadata

I use the Vermont Protected Lands Database to discover places to explore. More importantly, I routinely download parcel polygons from the database and build maps prior to field trips. In the field, I access these maps on my smartphone, which of course is GPS-enabled. In this way, I always know where I am.

Enjoy!

Publicado el 14 de mayo de 2024 a las 05:13 PM por trscavo trscavo | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

15 de mayo de 2024

Tiarella in New England

A revised taxonomy of Tiarella in eastern North America was proposed in July 2021. (Nesom 2021) The new taxonomy was subsequently accepted by Plants of the World Online (POWO), Flora of the southeastern United States (FSUS), VASCAN, and others. iNaturalist (which follows POWO) split Tiarella cordifolia into five species in November 2022.

In New England, the new taxonomy reduces to a name change, from Tiarella cordifolia to Tiarella stolonifera. New Flora of Vermont (2015) and Flora Novae Angliae (2011) accept Tiarella cordifolia and Tiarella cordifolia var. cordifolia, respectively. As of May 2024, Go Botany (an online version of Flora Novae Angliae) recognizes Tiarella cordifolia var. cordifolia as well.

Prior to the split, the taxonomy of Tiarella in the southeastern U.S. was sorely in need of change, so the new taxonomy was welcomed by some (e.g., FSUS). To observers and identifiers in New England, however, the name change appears to be arbitrary. Indeed, a significant number of iNaturalist users have pushed back on the change.

At this point, it would be helpful if the authors of New Flora of Vermont and Flora Novae Angliae rendered an opinion on the matter.

REFERENCES

Primary source:

Related journal articles:

Publicado el 15 de mayo de 2024 a las 04:05 PM por trscavo trscavo | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

20 de mayo de 2024

Salmon Hole

I recently visited the Salmon Hole in Burlington. Salmon Hole has a remarkably diverse assortment of plant species, including many non-native plant species and numerous invasive species.

Most spectacular invasive species. A massive invasion of lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) blanketed the steep slope from Riverside Avenue down to the Winooski River. This was the first time I had seen this species in Vermont. It was an impressive display.

Most spectacular native species. A mature population of red trillium (Trillium erectum) was also growing on the slope leading down to the river. Small groups of plants had variously-colored petals (not just typical red). There's a population in the southern Appalachians with pure white petals called Trillium erectum var. album, so the plants at Salmon Hole are technically called Trillium erectum var. erectum (according to the iNat taxonomy). The population here is very old, at least decades old, probably more.

Most surprising observation. I found a sunburst lichen (order Teloschistales) growing on a granite post along Riverside Avenue. There are similar posts used in multiple places along Riverside Ave…it would be interesting to see if this lichen is on other posts. I wonder what granite quarry the posts came from?

Life first. I observed nipplewort (Lapsana communis) for the first time at Salmon Hole. In the field, I had no idea what it was but the leaves had a distinctive shape so the plant's identity was easily guessed (and later confirmed by @tsn).

Publicado el 20 de mayo de 2024 a las 04:18 PM por trscavo trscavo | 4 observaciones | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario