May—A Good Month for Moths

May has been a good month for moths in Carroll County, Virginia. Here are a few of the highlights:

Green Marvel, Agriopodes fallax

Yellow-lined Owlet, Colobochyla interpuncta

Georgian Prominent, Hyperaeschra georgica

Ursula Wainscot, Leucania ursula

Mustard Sallow, Pyreferra hesperidago

Trillium - A Lovely Spring Flower

Trillium is a genus that has a variety of species across North America. The "tri" Latin prefix, meaning three, is used because the parts of the flowers occur in threes or multiples of threes: three leaves, three petals, three sepals, three stigmas, and six stamens.

A common trillium of southwest Virginia and northwest North Carolina is Trillium erectum, commonly referred to as Wake Robin. The researcher can become quickly confused by this lovely plant. Since it occurs in red/maroon, white, cream, pink, and mottled, the question is whether these are subspecies or whether these are just different colors of Trillium erectum. At this time there is no definitive answer.

Let's look at some of the Trillium erectum blossoms that occur close to each other. Red/maroon and cream are the most common in this area.

 

When red and cream occur in an area, it is not unusual to see pink or mottled.

 





The white form seems not to occur in the same area as the red and cream.

  

                 The Yellow Trillium, Trillium luteum,

 grows in such large numbers in some slopes of the eastern

Smoky Mountains, that its growth habit is reminiscent of a weed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Trillium sessile, commonly called Sessile Trillium, is like the Yellow Trillium in that it does not grow in the Blue Ridge Discovery Center area. The one pictured to the right was growing in southeastern West Virginia.

 

Trillium luteum and Trillium sessile belong to the "sessile" category. In this case "sessile" means that the flower has no stem.

 



 

 

 

 

Nodding Trillium, Trillium cernuum,

 is white. As it ages, the ovary and anthers

become pink and purplish,  making it

even more lovely at a distance.

 

 

 

 

 





Painted Trillium, Trillium undulatum,                

grows over a large area. This is fortunate

because it is one of the most beautiful of

the trilliums.

 

You might still find some trilliums at

the higher elevations of North Carolina

and Virginia. Better yet, plan to see

them in the spring of 2014.



Blue Grosbeak

On May 11 a blue grosbeak showed up at the house in Woodlawn. Because they aren't common here on the plateau, my wife and I enjoyed seeing it. They were plentiful during summers in Fayetteville, NC, where we lived for 30+ years. Seeing one here and adding it to our yard list was a treat.

Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

The 39^th Annual Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

Each year on Mother’s Day weekend, way up in the (otherwise) quiet community of Konnorock, VA, natural history enthusiasts young and old gather to share in a celebration of our high country treasures.

  

On Friday evening, May 10^th, while the Konnorock Community Center kitchen staff prepared the traditional chicken dinner, folks signed in to the back-ground music of Earth Mama Joyce and her able assistant, Richard Rouse.  

This is meet-and-greet time, with old friends catching up on a year’s news, and deciding which field trips to take the next day.  From 5:30 to 6:30, we settled into dinner.   

After introductions of field trip leaders and announcements, the Rally took time to honor Carrie Sparks for her 20+ years of leadership.  She was given a hand-crafted basket full of thoughtful gifts of appreciation, and a standing ovation.  

Dr. Karen Francl, Associate Professor of Biology at Radford University, was this year’s speaker.  

 Her program on bats and white-nose syndrome captivated the audience.  White-nose syndrome is fungal condition found on bats associated with caves, and is rapidly killing off large populations.  Dr. Francl’s enthusiastic presentation offered as well a general discussion of Virginia bat species, behavior and habitat, and the mythology surrounding unfounded human fear of bats. 

   

The Rally is attended by people from as far away as Vermont to as close as next door.  As the evening came to a close, we dispersed to local campgrounds, homes and motels to rest up for Saturday’s field trips.  Inclement weather does not deter this hardy crowd, who arrived in the morning well equipped for a day of rain.   

The morning field trip options were Birding (Eric Harrold), Fly Tying (Ernie Barker), Geocaching (Link Elmore), Salamanders (Kevin Hamed), Whitetop Wildflowers (Eleanor Grasselli and Carrie Sparks), an All Day Hike to Mount Rogers (Phil Shelton), Mushrooms (Rebecca Rader), and Geology (Arthur Merschat). 

 

A simple hot-dog lunch, prepared by Jim Sparks and volunteers, was offered during the noon hour, as soggy people regrouped for the afternoon events and hikes.  In years past, the Rally has held writer’s workshops focused on capturing the outdoors in words.  This year we were very lucky in having Suzanne Stryk and Kyle Buckland conduct an artist’s workshop for our ‘special afternoon program’.  Both of these artists are highly accomplished and celebrated for their work in natural history illustration and interpretation.

 

Other afternoon field trips and programs were Geology (Fred Newcomb), Fairwood Valley Cultural History (Steve Lindeman), Grindstone Wildflowers (John Kell), Native Trees (Joel Keebler), Geology of the Virginia Highlands (Bill Whitlock), Fish Bugs (Aaron Floyd), and Kid Activities (Mary Alice Hardin, Roald and Ellie Kirby, and Eric Harrold).   

As I was unable to neglect my duties at the community center, I did spend some time with the kid activities and the artist’s roundtable.  Ellie brought clay for the kids to mold into turtle shapes.   

Roald told tall tales related to local mountain lore.   

Eric gave kids the opportunity to dissect owl pellets, always a big hit with the young crowd.   

And Mary Alice conducted her ‘Amazing Race’, taking kids on an outdoor exploration of plants, bugs, rocks and so on, much like a treasure hunt.  

Registration for the MRNR is $13.00 per dinner, and $8.00 for Saturday.  Kids 16 and under can join in the field trips for free.  This year’s overall attendance easily surpassed 200.  For further information please take a look at our website:  http://www.mountrogersnaturalistrally.org/rallyinfo.html

Every year the Friends of Mount Rogers set up a table to bring attention to their organization and offer tee-shirts, field guides, and maps.  Louise Tilson has long volunteered for the ‘Friends’, and continues to attend every Rally.  http://www.friendsofmountrogers.org/aboutus.html

Many people came together to ensure the success of this year’s Rally.  With Carrie’s official resignation last year, the torch was passed to Blue Ridge Discovery Center and yours truly.  I especially want to thank Deborah Partridge, MRNR Committee member, for her tireless assistance throughout the weekend.  I also wish to thank Aaron Floyd for his work on the brochure and help at the registration table, and Mike Nichols for managing the website.  Others, and in no special order, who were indispensable are as follows:  Eric Harrold, Gale Kuelber, Allen Boynton, Roald and Ellie Kirby, William Roberts, Carrie and Jim Sparks, Brandy Nichols, and Beth Merz.  If I have left anyone out, please accept my deepest apologies.

Scott Jackson-Ricketts

MRNR Committee Chair

BRDC Executive Director

Appalachian Trail Spring Wildflowers

Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail

Elk Garden, May 3, 2013

While it was warm in Independence and at other lower elevations, in Elk Garden at approximately 4000’, and with 30 mph winds rearranging our hair and expressions, it almost seemed like winter still had a grip.  But we were here for ephemeral wildflowers…those that get the business of propagating accomplished before the forest canopy sucks away the sunlight’s energy…and we were in the right place.

This field trip was a collaborative effort among the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club, Blue Ridge Discovery Center, and Doris Halsey’s art students from Grayson County High School.  Carol Broderson, who also serves as a substitute teacher for the Grayson County Schools, is an active member of the MRATC and avid hiker.   

Through her connection with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as well as a volunteer for BRDC, she initiated this field trip.  Eleanor Grasselli, also with the MRATC, and Cecelia Mathis, BRDC volunteer and wildflower enthusiast, offered professional back-up guide support.

We had seven students and Ms. Halsey as artists in the moment.  The bus arrived at 9:something, and we quickly moved out of the wind into the woods to begin our studies.  Aaron Floyd served as our director through Blue Ridge Illustrated, a funded BRDC program.  Each student was assigned a species or two, and given the opportunity to find that flower in one of the many field guides on hand.  We used both the Latin and common names, and instructed the students to write down enough descriptive information on their field cards to assist them in discovering the living forms along the trail.  Which they did.

Finding the best example of their target species for sketching purposes was the next step.  Then the drawing tablets and pencils came out, with each kid finding their comfort zone and settling down to capture the basic details of their flower.   

While the students were sketching, several guides took photos and/or encouraged the kids to do so with shared cameras.  Pictures taken from the same perspective as that of the artist will be utilized for further in-class studio follow-up.  Cecelia, Scott and Aaron were all involved in this process. 

  

During lunch, out of the wind and exploiting the solar advantages of the bus, we shared our morning’s work, ate ramps, and talked about the studio follow-up strategies for creating a valuable poster or other type of publication.  Aaron carefully explained the value of contrast when illustrating wild flowers, starting with a basic outline or silhouette, and moving into detail afterwards.  

After lunch we had an hour to return to the field, take a longer look at our flowers, and work a bit harder on securing the best photos for further documentation purposes.  We also talked about other BRDC sponsored programs and events that might interest this enthusiastic group. 

 

The target species list, derived from the combined expertise and explorations of Carol, Eleanor, and Cecelia appears below:

Latin Name    Common Name
Phacelia fimbriata   Fringed Phacelia
Houstonia caerulea  Bluets
Erythronium americanum Trout Lily
Claytonia virginica  Spring Beauty
Trillium erectum    Red/purple Trillium  
Trillium grandiflorum  Large white Trillium
Dicentra cucullaria  Dutchman’s Breeches
Dicentra canadensis  Squirrel Corn
Dentaria laciniata   
   Aka Cardamine concatenate Cutleaf Toothwort
Caudophyllum thalictroides Blue cohosh
Anemone quinquefolia  Wood Anemone
Ranunculus recurvatus  Blisterwort
Disporum lanuginosum  Yellow Mandarin
Alliaria petiolata   Garlic Mustard
Tussilago farfara   Colt’s Foot
Viola canadensis   Canada Violet  
Viola hastate   Yellow Violet with halberd shaped leaves
Viola pubuscens   Downy Yellow Violet
Viola sororia   Common Blue violet
Allium tricoccum   Ramps
Veratrum viride   False Hellebore

We wish to thank Doris Halsey and her class.  The students involved were Kenny Yonce, Morgan Simpson, Jake Parnell, Levi Taylor, Marcus Thompson, James Williams, and Luke Wright.

Scott Jackson-Ricketts

Cecelia Mathis' Photo Presentation on Earth Day

Cecelia Mathis, lover of the outdoors and wildlife photographer, presented her photos of wildflowers, birds and a butterfly today at the Grayson County Library, Independence, VA.  Each photo was accompanied by a story which added to the description of the subject, sometimes where it was found, and always with a background of her personal discovery process. The chosen slides represented, for the most part, what we would expect to find at this time of year.  Trout lily, spring beauty, a pair of purple finches, and trilliums graced the screen. 

This is the second library program Cecelia has brought to our area, the first being at the Alleghany County Library in Sparta, NC.  She will return to Independence on May 15th, to offer the nursing home residents an opportunity to share in her enthusiast hobby. 

Cecelia is a volunteer for Blue Ridge Discovery Center, and works under our 'banner'.  We are hugely grateful for her public outreach, and hope she will publish some of her excellent photos with us on this blog in the near future.  We also wish to thank the staff at Grayson County Library for their help in making this possible.  Not to mention the cookies.

Scott Jackson-Ricketts

BRDC and CCSA

In honor of Earth Day and the arts, BRDC collaborated with Deb Grief and the Grayson County High School's ECO Club, to share in the creative spirit of recycling with a purpose.  Given that BRDC has a strong commitment to the idea that science and art are artificially separated, and that we are better served when these similar skills of observation and documentation are recombined, the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts was a great place to spread 'the word'.

Sara Fennell, with the CCSA as a potter and all 'round enthusiastic person, organized this event with the assistance of Dixie Leanord, to ensure that all participants were comfortably accommodated.  Other offerings included kite construction and decoration and origami sculptures.  The ECO club is famous for its hats-from-otherwise-discarded-stuff, starting with newspaper and tape, moving into applied house-hold things like cut-outs from magazines, frills such as bottle caps, ribbons, packaging 'peanuts', and so on.  Kids love it. 

BRDC's Aaron Floyd and I provided a background of natural history illustration with several books devoted to that tradition, along with skulls, feathers, Native American projectile points, seeds, leaves, rocks and preserved butterflies for objects of study and models for sketching.  Aaron's approach is to demonstrate the basic principles behind transferring what one is looking at to the blank paper.  Starting with dimensions, then to basic shape, the conversation moves into detail.  Depending on patience, anyone can learn to graphically describe a leaf or frog without having to be an 'artist'.  The point is, being confident and aware of the value of this way of sharing one's discovery is within anyone's grasp.  Don't be shy.

 

 

Scott Jackson-Ricketts