Tipularia discolor, phase II

Yesterday, I took two of the kids who didn't make the first part of the Tip hunt due to illness and revisited the ravine with camera in hand. Within just a minute or so of entering the ravine, we found some Indian Pipes (Monotropa uniflora), a reasonably close relative of blueberries and azaleas. These ghostly plants parasitize soil fungi which, in turn, parasitize the roots of trees and shrubs:



Further down the stream, we crossed the beech tree natural bridge from the west to the east bank. The stream tunnels beneath the roots of this large tree:



It was a good thing we went for another trip. My sharp-eyed kids spotted a few new batches of Tipularia leaves, totalling about 30 or more new plants that were flagged, increasing our chances of finding flowers this coming summer. Here is a photo of the top side of a hibernal leaf:



we couldn't find any that had very deep purple undersides to photograph, as the light on the forest floor is still being blocked by leaves clinging to the trees (they usually fall in earnest after the first frost). So, we'll have to make another trip to get a photo of a leaf underside.

Enjoy!

---Prem

Thanks, Prem! Those are great! That Monotropa unifloria is sooo strange.

Cheers!
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

Dang... Sharp eyes on those kids of yours!

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Louis J. Aszod