Category Archives: Plants

Bear Corn

Posted on April 26, 2013 by

Scaly, brown digits poke from the underworld, pointing skyward. They look slightly disturbing, like bloated pine cones or partly rotted corn cobs. These protrusions are the flowering parts of Conopholis americana, a plant that grows attached to the roots of … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Shakerag Hollow | 24 Comments

Hatchling

Posted on April 18, 2013 by

A chestnut oak seedling emerges from the sloughed remains of winter. A mighty good sight. Chestnut oaks (and their cousins in the “white oak” group) send down roots in the fall, racing against rodents. Once rooted, the seedling can survive … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Trees | 12 Comments

Red maple: the burn begins, warblers drawn to the heat

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

Gentle, domesticated plants are singing springtime songs, lifting gardens with flowers and newly emerged leaves, but the forest is wintry, especially in the uplands. Mountain slopes may glow with ephemeral wildflowers and buckeye saplings, but the rolling tabletop of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Trees | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Least Trillium lives on…

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

I’m happy to report that the Least (or Dwarf) Trillium (Trillium pusillum) that I feared had been dug up by the plant poachers (as an incidental effect of bluebell thieving) has escaped the spade for another year. My Ornithology class … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Travels | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Dead wood, ashes.

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

One of Shakerag Hollow’s giant trees has fallen. An ash that until last week held its arms in the highest reaches of the canopy now sprawls across the forest floor, its body utterly torn. I’ll go back soon and “measure” … Continue reading →

Posted in Beetles, Plants, Shakerag Hollow, Trees | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Shakerag Hollow snow

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

Winter seemed to be slipping quietly out of the door, but evidently it still has business here. The forest floor is transformed. Where-ever dark objects protrude, they soak the sun’s weak heat. Gradually the surrounding snow sublimates, leaving sleeves of … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Shakerag Hollow | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Wrestling with privet on Bluebell Island

Posted on December 7, 2012 by

Sharp blades and muscles: These are the lab tools used lately by my class. We’ve been mapping and eradicating privet from Bluebell Island, a local hotspot for wildflowers. Privet is a non-native invader and it overshadows and kills native plants. … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Travels, Water | 21 Comments

Sourwood in bloom

Posted on June 17, 2012 by

Most local trees bloom in the spring or early summer, but sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) waits until summer is well underway to grow its graceful clusters of small white flowers. These clusters arch out from the tips of twigs and, although … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants, Trees | 3 Comments

“Under the spreading chestnut tree…” (via telescreen)

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

Hill Craddock and Tom Saielli visited Sewanee today with four hybrid chestnut trees to plant in our forest. Hill is in the Biology Department at UT Chattanooga and has worked for many years on American chestnut breeding and restoration; Tom … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Nuts, Plants, Trees | 3 Comments

Spotted Wintergreen

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

This diminutive wildflower grows in sandy poor soils. It also goes by Pipsissewa, from a Native American name (which of the many languages of Native Americans, I do not know). The leaves taste vaguely medicinal and were once used in … Continue reading →

Posted in Plants | 11 Comments