Friday Links: 5/21/2010

Peregrine Watch says "As of today, we still need to raise $3600 by June 1^st to make Peregrine Watch possible this summer."   Donate here.  [Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory]


Researchers spent a month identifying new species in a very remote area of Indonesia, including five new palms and a giant rhododendron flower.  They also located the homeland of Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise, which was first described in the late 1800s, but a male had never been observed alive by western scientists.  [BBC News]


Pulpo cazatiburones: A cool video of a octopus taking on a shark, complete with dorky commentary.  [National Geographic via Ecoplaneta]


I wonder if I'll ever do a post about identifying archaea?  Probably not, but I'd love to.  [Olivia Judson]


Dot Earth riffs on synthetic biology.  [Dot Earth]

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Key ID characteristics:
  Jack-in-the-pulpit is most easily recognized by its distinctive flower from which it gets its name.  The "pulpit" is a cylindrical cone that has one flap which curls over the top and provides a protective cover for the "jack" inside.  The flower is only visible for a few weeks in the spring.
  If the flower is absent, you can also look for the berry cluster along with the three leaflet clusters.  The berry cluster starts out covered in a sheath, which wears away and exposes the unripe berries, which are green.  When the berries are ripen, they turn red.  I don't have any pictures of my own of the berries yet, but take a look at the links to get a view.
   There isn't any aboveground part of the stem, so the three leaflet clusters always grow directly from the ground and never branch off of a stem or trunk.  There can be one or two leaflet clusters per plant.
  The flower usually is not directly underneath the leaves, so you can see it from above.

Habitat:
Jack-in-the-pulpit is a common woodland wildflower that grows all across the eastern U.S. and Canada.

It can appear in clumps with multiple plants right near one another.  

Here is a picture of the plant as it is just emerging in the spring:

Here is a photo of a jack-in-the-pulpit in a sea of other spring woodland flowers (mostly trout lily):

All pictures in this post were taken at Nerstand Big Woods State Park in Nerstrand, MN.

Interesting tidbits:

The flowers are pollinated by fungus gnats (Sciaridae & Mycetophilidae) and the larvae of parasitic thrips.  They may emit a faint odor of stagnant water or fungi.

Mammals rarely eat the plant itself because it contains crystals of calcium oxalate, which makes it somewhat poisonous.  

"Jack" is the spathe in the middle of the flower, and contains both the male and female flower parts.  The "pulpit" is the spadix.

Links for further information:

USDA Plant Profile

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database

Zen's North Carolina Nature Notebook

all-creatures.org (lots of nice pictures here of the variation in flowers and fruits)

illinoiswildflowers.info

Trip Report: Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Kellie and I visited Nerstand Big Woods State Park this weekend. It is a great park for naturalists, as it comprises a nice big patch of woods with minimal fragmentation.

The trees are really starting to leaf out, signifying the end of the spring ephemeral wildflower season. It was really cool to be out in the woods and see the forest floor carpeted in the green of Trout Lily and other woodland spring wildflowers. The Trout Lily will soon die back and the forest floor will become much more brown again.

Hidden Falls is a cool little waterfall in the middle of the park. 

We saw an American Robin taking advantage of the shelter of the bathroom building!

Partial list of species identified in the park (5/15 - 5/16/2010):

Birds:

• House Wren
• American Redstart
• American Robin
• Red-Bellied Woodpecker
• Baltimore Oriole
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Common Grackle
• American Crow
• Blue Jay
• Common Yellowthroat
• Black-capped Chickadee
• American Goldfinch
• Chipping Sparrow
• White-breasted Nuthatch

Plants:

• American Elm
• Sugar Maple
• Mayapple (blooming)
• Wild Geranium (blooming)
• Jack-in-the-pulpit (blooming)
• Trout Lily
• Bedstraw
• Maidenhair Fern
• Virginia Waterleaf (blooming)
• Wild Ginger
• Hepatica
• Marsh Marigold
• Trillium
• Dandelion (blooming ;)

Others:

• Garter Snake
• American Toad
• Eastern Chipmunk