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Botany Ramblings:
16 April to 30 June, 2002
James P. Goltz
Reprinted from the N.B. Naturalist
BRYOPHYTES (report prepared by Bruce Bagnell)
Several interesting and rare bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) were found* recently in the province, including several species of the little known APygmy Mosses that hide among vascular plants on patches of bare soil in agricultural fields. Many of these have a brief existence for only a few weeks in early spring after the snow melts away, giving rise to their alternative name Aephemeral mosses. These tiny mosses, some only 1-2 mm high, form a unique community for which we have little detailed knowledge of their existence in our province. One of these minute species of mosses, Ephemerum serratum, a new species for the province, was discovered near Sussex Corner on the 18th of April.
In addition to the Pygmy Mosses at Sussex Corner, a small limestone ridge there has been found to be the home of another new species of moss for the province, Tortula ruralis, only known elsewhere in the Maritimes from Cape Breton. An additional rare moss of limestone outcrops, Anomodon viticulosus, was also discovered at this site.
On 23 April, while assisting Stephen Clayden in scouting out sites for his soon to follow lichen workshop, an uncommon moss, Cirriphyllum piliferum, was found at the edge of a small wet depression in Sugar Maple woods near Walton Lake.
A lunch-hour walk from the New Brunswick Museum to the end of Douglas Avenue on the 28th of May resulted in a surprising find of a rare moss. Tortula mucronifolia, on a limestone outcrop near Reversing Falls; this species is known from only four other sites in NB.
A very pleasant group outing in search of the elusive Southern Twayblade orchid near Mistake Brook in York County on 16 June, resulted in the discovery of an unusual leafy liverwort (Lophozia laxa). This species was found among peat mosses in a large open peatland and was previously unknown in NB. It has a distinctive pure green coloration, and a peculiar habit of having many of the leaves with different and unusual shapes, a character helpful in its identification in the field.
While botanizing a small brook with intermittent conglomerate outcrop bluffs near Vinegar Hill (SW of Sussex) with Gart Bishop, the very rare moss, Timmia norvegica var. excurrens was discovered on 20 June. This rare northern moss is presently known elsewhere in the province from only three other sites.
Last but not least was the discovery on 27 June of one of our rarest ADung Mosses, on a large peatland near Pokiok Settlement. This unusual coastal plain moss, Splachnum pennsylvanicum, occurred beside a pond in the open area of a bog, on humified organics, likely of moose droppings. It has been found only once before in NB, at Bull Pasture Plains (Bog), east of Fredericton, and is considered rare in Canada.
*Editor's note: Congratulations to Bruce on the discovery of all of these mosses and liverworts. Bruce will be placing his collections of these species in the New Brunswick Museum.
LICHENS (report prepared by Stephen Clayden)
About 280 species of foliose (leaf-like) and fruticose (shrub-like or hair-like) lichens have been found to date in New Brunswick. These are the so-called macrolichens, the ones large enough to be seen readily without the aid of a hand lens. Lichens with a crustose (crust-like or filmy) growth form are represented by as many as 500 species in the province. Many of the crusts are conspicuous by their colours or fruiting structures, or by the patterns they form on trees and rocks. Many others are tiny and detectable only by a keen or practiced eye.
The state of our knowledge of New Brunswick lichens is such that it is still not hard to find species new to the province, or new occurrences of uncommon species, even among the macrolichens. In the past two years, nine species of macrolichens have been found here for the first time, or identified from previously existing herbarium collections**: Collema bachmanianum B on mossy limestone ledges in Grand Falls gorge, collected by Herbert Habeeb in 1948; Collema leptaleum B on red maple in Kouchibouguac National Park, collected by Anna Koffman; Flavocetraria cucullata (Curled Snow Lichen) B in heath vegetation near the summit of Sagamook Mountain; Fuscopannaria leucosticta (Rimmed Shingle Lichen) B on cedar in Kouchibouguac National Park; Leptogium teretiusculum B on mossy limestone on the Nashwaak River near Stanley, collected during an NB Botany Club outing on 26 May 2002; Physcia subtilis (Slender Rosette Lichen) B on cliffs along the Lower Norton shore, Kennebecasis River; Umbilicaria cylindrica (Fringed Rock Tripe) B on rock on the summit of Sagamook Mountain; Umbilicaria krascheninnikovii (Salty Rock Tripe) B on rock on the summit of Sagamook Mountain; Usnea cavernosa (Pitted Beard Lichen) B on trunks and branches of spruce and fir at several localities in western and northern New Brunswick.
The English names given for some of these species come from the recently published book Lichens of North America by Irwin M. Brodo, Sylvia Duran Sharnoff and Stephen Sharnoff (Yale University Press, 795 pages, 2001). Only a few lichens have well-established common names, but the coining of new ones, partly in response to popular demand, has been in full swing in recent years. Any naturalist keenly interested in getting to know lichens should consider purchasing this book. Although it lists at US$69.95, copies can reportedly be obtained for much less than this. It includes stunning photographs, descriptions, and range maps of just over 800 common and conspicuous species (about 22 % of the total number known in North America), as well as identification keys and a very informative introduction covering the biology, ecology, and study and identification of lichens.
Lichens were the focus of an all-day introductory workshop on April 27 organized by the NB Botany Club. Undeterred by a fresh snowfall of 20 cm, thirty people turned out for this session, based at Adair's Wilderness Lodge near Walton Lake in the Fundy highlands. The snow had blanketed the ground-inhabiting lichens, but a good diversity of species was observed on tree trunks in a mature sugar maple stand, and specimens were collected for examination and identification with microscopes set up at the lodge.
**Editor's Note: Congratulations to Stephen Clayden for discovering and/or identifying all of these new species.
VASCULAR PLANTS
Species New For New Brunswick
Three species of vascular plants, none of which is recorded in the most recent edition of the Flora of New Brunswick, were all found naturalized away from their usual garden settings. These included Grape-hyacinth (Muscari botryoides) and Multi-flowered Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum multiflorum) in rich clay hardwoods at Fredericton on May 18 (JPG), and Peking Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster acutifolia) near the edge of a rich hardwood stand on Keswick Ridge on May 25 (JPG, MB). The first two species were located close to the remnants of old homesteads but had persisted and spread, while the single plant of Cotoneaster had likely been dropped by a bird (or mammal) that had consumed the berries.
Uncommon to Rare Species
At Taymouth, most plants of Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) had flowers by May 16, although only about 10% of the ginger plants had been flowering there on May 10 (JS). While canoeing along the Nashwaak River near Taymouth on May 20, Dwayne and Mary Sabine found patches of several uncommon species including Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) and Large Toothwort (Cardamine x maxima).
Hundreds of Arrow-leaved Violet (Viola sagittata) were in bloom on May 18 at Nashwaaksis, at a site where Hal Hinds had discovered them several years ago (JPG). Close nearby, grew several clumps of a hybrid violet (probably Viola sagittata x sororia) that apparently had not previously been found in New Brunswick (JPG). Not far from this site is an old sandy field where very small, undifferentiated Grapeferns were found growing among Hawkweeds on May 18. A visit to this site on May 25 revealed four species of Grapeferns, including Leathery Grapefern (Botrychium multifidum), Dissected Grapefern (Botrychium dissectum), Daisy-leaved Grapefern (Botrychium marticariifolium) and the rare Little Grapefern (Botrychium simplex) (JPG, MB).
Congratulations to Freddie Givan on finding a new station of the very rare Fringed Polygala (Polygala paucifolia) near Fredericton Junction. Although Freddie made this exciting discovery on May 28, 2001, and took excellent digital pictures on that date, it was not until much later that she recognized the significance of her find. On May 27, 2002, two days after ensuring that the plants were still extant and in bloom, Freddie and her husband David kindly showed me the site with its hundreds of Polygalas in peak bloom.
The enchanting blooms of Calypso (Calypso bulbosa) were seen at a known location near Williamstown Lake on May 25 (SR) and June 9 (NTNB), and on June 13 at a nearby site where this species had not been previously found (VZ, MM, HG). This species has recently disappeared from several sites in Carleton County where it formerly occurred.
The large clump of Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) at Russell Woods near Woodstock was in full bloom on June 9 (NTNB) and was still in bloom a week later (NP).
Large patches of Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) and Goldie's Fern (Dryopteris goldiana) were found at Oakland Mountain on June 9 (NTNB). A new location for Maidenhair Fern was found on Keswick Ridge by Julie Singleton in mid June.
At least 11 clumps of Wall-rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) were still present on June 12 at Ministers Face, Long Island, the only site where this species is known to occur in Atlantic Canada (NTNB).
On a foray of the Kennebecasis Naturalists on June 15, three species of rare limestone-loving ferns, Green Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum), Slender Cliff-brake (Cryptogramma stelleri) and Braun's Holly-fern (Polystichum braunii) were found on a short section of coarse conglomerate cliffs along Wilcox Brook (which flows into Moosehorn Brook) between Sussex and Norton (GB).
At Oakland Mountain, hundreds of plants of Large Yellow Lady's-slippers (Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens) were in peak bloom on June 9 (AC, NTNB). On June 25, two plants of Large Yellow Lady's-slipper were found near Havelock along the new stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway (DaS).
Much Hooker's Orchid (Platanthera hookeri) and some Broad-lipped Twayblade (Listera convallarioides) were found in a ravine near Kouchibouguac National Park headquarters, along with the inconspicuous Bristle-stalked Sedge (Carex leptalea), a sedge that is widespread in the province but apparently had never before been found in the park (SB). Broad-lipped Twayblade (Listera convallarioides) was found on Keswick Ridge on May 25 (MB).
Other interesting finds included Tuckerman's Sedge (Carex tuckermanii) in the Minto area (near Coal Creek and Little River)(SB), Marsh Horsetail (Equisetum palustre) found by Cindy Spicer and Claudia Hanel north of Chipman, and Hooked Buttercup (Ranunculus recurvatus) in woods along Breau Creek in the Walker Road area north of Sackville (SB). The Hooked Buttercup had not previously been found east of Petitcodiac.
Early Bloomers
After a fairly mild winter, spring was fraught with late snowfalls, cold wet weather and late frosts. Despite the slow onset of spring, many of our spring flowers surprisingly were right on schedule.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) was seen in bloom on April 23 at Keswick Ridge (where many were out by May 1)(JR), along the Tay River on April 28 (JS), along the Shediac River on May 4 (NP), at Douglas on May 7 (BS), at Orland's Walk along Smith Creek near Sussex on May 9 (NP), and near the Nashwaak River at Penniac on May 11 (BD).
Three blooms of Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) were found at the Experimental Farm at Fredericton on April 21 (JPG, JW). Trailing Arbutus was in bud in a sheltered location on a south-facing slope between conglomerate outcrops at Rosevale on April 18 but its flowers didn=t begin to open there until May 2, an average date for plants at this site (AW). Blooms of this species were found at Bouctouche on May 5 (ML, BL), and some were still in flower at Kouchibouguac National Park on May 31 (ML).
A few plants of Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana) were in bloom on a north-east facing slope near Walton Lake on April 23 (StC, GB, BB). This species was in full flower at Marys Point on May 6, even though there seemed to be no sign of it the previous day (DSC), and was in peak bloom at Orland's Walk along Smith Creek near Sussex on May 9 (NP). Huge patches of Spring Beauty were found in peak bloom at Manawagonish Island on May 22, along with many robust plants of Rose Twisted-stalk (Streptopus roseus), a few of which were in bloom (DwS).
Leaves of Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) were well-developed by April 22 at Rosevale, but were covered with snow on April 26 and the plants didn=t start to flower there until May 6 (AW). This species was seen in bloom at Saint John on May 5 (CLJ), at Keswick Ridge on May 6 (MPu), at Douglas on May 7 (BS), at Marys Point on May 8 (DSC) and along the Tay Creek on May 10 (JS), and was in peak bloom at Orland's Walk along Smith Creek near Sussex on May 9 (NP). It was starting to bloom near the Nashwaak River at Penniac on May 11 (BD), was still in bloom at Taymouth on May 16 (JS), and was mostly past its prime at Rosevale by May 25, when few flowers were left and the leaves were losing their brown spots and turning uniform green (AW).
Leaves of Dutchman's-breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) were in evidence near Walton Lake on April 23 (StC, GB, BB), and leaves and buds of this species were seen along the English Settlement Road near Taymouth on April 25 (JS). By May 1, many Dutchman's-breeches were in bloom at Keswick Ridge (JR). This species was Ajust nicely startings to bloom at Orland's Walk along Smith Creek near Sussex on May 9 (NP), when the leaves of Amany hundreds of plants of Wild Leeks(Allium tricoccum) were already in evidence.
Round-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana) began to bloom at Currie Mountain on April 25 (PP, TP, MPu) and at Taymouth on May 12 (MPa).
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) was in bloom at Nashwaaksis on May 2 (MPu), and on May 12 at Marys Point (DSC), Southwest Head on Grand Manan Island (JPG, JW), and Bouctouche (ML).
American Dog Violet (Viola conspersa) was in bloom on Keswick Ridge on May 6 (MPu) and at Southwest Head on Grand Manan Island on May 12 (JPG, JW). At Marys Point, some Woolly Blue Violets (Viola sororia) were found in bloom on May 11 and a single plant of Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) was noted in flower on May 12 (DSC). At Penniac, Athe purple and white violets were Aall over the back yards on May 11 (BD). Northern White Violet (Viola macloskeyi) was in bloom at Bouctouche on May 12 (ML, BL), and at Odell Park in Fredericton on May 17 (MPu). A small white-flowered violet (species not determined) was in flower at the Lancaster Sewage Lagoon trail on May 12 (MC) and at Taymouth on May 16 (JS).
Many Painted Trilliums (Trillium undulatum) were in bud, very close to bursting forth in bloom, on April 25 on a southeast-facing hardwood ridge in the Little Pokiok Stream area (DwS). Blooms of Painted Trillium, Rose Twisted-stalk (Streptopus roseus), and Clintonia (Clintonia borealis) were seen at Rosevale on May 26 (AW).
Red Trillium (Trillium erectum) was nearly out at Keswick Ridge on May 1 (JR), showing blooms on about 10% of its plants on Tay Creek on May 10 (JS), blooming profusely at Island View near Fredericton on May 12 (DP) and beginning to bloom at Rosevale on May 13 (AW). The uncommon pale yellow colour form (forma luteum) of this species was found and photographed growing with the more typical burgundy-coloured flowers at Cambridge-Narrows on May 17 (SoC).
At Rosevale, Ajo Wissink harvested and enjoyed dining on his first fiddleheads (Ostrich Fern; Matteuccia pensylvanica) of the year on May 12, having beaten the poachers who often gather them from his property.
Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) was in bloom along the Tay Creek on May 10 (JS) and Ajust coming into flowers along the terraces of the Wolfe River on May 20 (StC).
Little Merry Bells (Uvularia sessilifolia) were in bloom at Odell Park on May 17 (MPu) and at Lower St. Marys on May 23 (DGi).
Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra) was flowering at Rosevale on May 25 and White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda), a much rarer species in the Rosevale area, was flowering there on May 26 (AW).
Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule) was in full bloom at Bouctouche on June 1 (ML). Among the many other species of wildflowers seen at Kouchibouguac National Park and/or Bouctouche around the time of the Federation's Annual General Meeting (May 31 to June1) were Starflower (Trientalis borealis), Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum), Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum), Goldthread (Coptis trifolia), Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris), Rose Twisted-stalk (Streptopus roseus), and Clintonia (Clintonia borealis).
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) was flowering on June 11 along the Coal Branch River at Ford's Mills (ST).
A lovely clump of Early Coral-root (Corallorhiza trifida) in peak bloom was found and photographed on June 17 at a campground at St.-André (NP). New locations for this species were also found near Williamstown Lake (VZ, MM, HG) on June 13 and near Browns Mountain (MB) on June 16.
Along the English Settlement Road near Taymouth, Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), Twinflower (Linnaea borealis), and One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora) were in peak bloom between June 20 and 27, and the fertile fronds of Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) were also at their peak (JS).
Woody Plants
The Atiny scarlet spiderys(JS) female flowers of Beaked Hazel (Corylus cornuta) were seen at Keswick Ridge on April 20 (JR) and along the English Settlement Road near Taymouth on April 23 (JS).
Several American Elm (Ulmus americana) were in full bloom along the MacDougall Trail near Lincoln on April 21 (JPG, JW).
On the English Settlement Road near Taymouth, the flower buds of Red Maple (Acer rubrum) were Acracked opens, exposing Acrimson, soft, pussy-willow type flowers on April 23 (JS).
A few Pussy Willows (Salix discolor) were in bloom in the Jemseg area on April 23 (JPG, DGi, SS) and many blooms of this species emerged within a three hour period during a cold spring rain at the Experimental Farm at Fredericton on April 26 (JPG).
Flower buds of Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis) had burst but not fully opened on the English Settlement Road near Taymouth by April 19 (JS). Flower buds and new leaves of Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemosus) were evident on the English Settlement Road near Taymouth on April 23 (JS). Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis), Red-berried Elder (Sambucus racemosus) and Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides) at Rosevale had flower buds on May 2 (AW). The Honeysuckle began to bloom there on May 13, and the Hobblebush was flowering on May 24.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.) was in full bloom on the English Settlement Road near Taymouth on May 18 (JS), began to bloom at Rosevale on May 19 and was already past its prime at Rosevale by May 25 (AW), when it was reported to be in bloom at Marys Point and Harvey (DSC).
On May 5 near St. Gabriel, Mike and Bern LeBlanc were delighted to find some Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a tree species that has evidently become quite rare in Kent County as a result of heavy logging early in the last century.
A white-flowered plant of Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense forma albiflorum) bearing very few flowers was found at the Experimental Farm at Fredericton on June 3 (JPG).
Non-native Species
Although many flower buds of Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) were peaking through the sand on the bank of Turtle Creek at Rosevale by March 11, the first flowers didn=t appear there until April 15 (AW). Blooms of Coltsfoot were still the only flowers in evidence near the Lancaster sewage lagoon on May 5 (EP).
Exceptionally early blooms of Stork's-bill (Erodium cicutarium) were found at the Tracadie sewage lagoon on April 28 (CNPA) and identified by Hilaire Chiasson. Apparently, Hilaire only has one other record for this species on the Acadian Peninsula (at Pokeshaw).
Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) was in bloom in West Saint John on May 5 (CLJ).
A roadside in the Moncton area was Acovered with Lupines (Lupinus polyphyllus) in bloom on June 20 (JLM).
Common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis), a rare weed in New Brunswick, and Oak-leaved Goosefoot (Chenopodium glaucum) were found at Sackville (SB).
At campgrounds in Kouchibouguac National Park, Sean Blaney found Five-stamened Mouse-eared Chickweed (Cerastium semidecandrum), Blue Scorpion-grass (Myosotis verna), Purslane Speedwell (Veronica peregrina ssp. peregrina), Spring Speedwell (Veronica verna), Corn Speedwell (Veronica arvensis) and Whitlow Grass (Draba verna), all of which were evidently new species for the park (SB). A delayed ferry crossing on May 13 resulted in the discovery of many thousands of plants of Whitlow Grass and European Mouse-eared Chickweed (Cerastium pumilum) around the ferry terminal at North Head, Grand Manan Island (JPG, JW). The latter species was previously known from one other location in the province. Much Red-seeded Dandelion (Taraxacum erythrospermum) was seen in bloom on headlands at Grand Manan near the AFlock of Sheeps on May 12 and the Swallowtail on May 13 (JPG, JW).
An old field meadow along the English Settlement Road near Taymouth was accented with brightly-coloured blooms of Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum), Yellow Hawkweed (Hieracium sp.), Field Buttercup (Ranunculus acris), Cinquefoil (Potentilla sp.) and Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) in late June (JS).
A large stand of Great Hairy Willow-herb (Epilobium hirsutum), previously known from only one other location in the province, was found and identified in pre-flowering condition by Sean Blaney at Fredericton on June 29.
Other Interesting Plant Reports
Fertile plants of Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) were seen near the Experimental Farm at Fredericton on May 10 (MPu).
Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) and Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) were especially hard-hit by frost in the Shediac area on the weekend of June 9 (NP).
People and Plants
The New Brunswick Botany Club has held very successful workshops on lichen and sedge identification, as well as a field trip to the Stanley area, and has developed a Code of Ethics. Upcoming club events include a field trip to the Grand Falls area and a foray for aquatic plants near St. George. The Nature Trust of New Brunswick will be continuing its botanical inventory of the upper St. John River this summer, with the aid of Sean Blaney and others, and will also focus on searching for new locations for Furbish's Lousewort. Sean and other staff from the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre are hoping to find new calcareous fen and wetland habitats, and are concentrating on looking for rare plants of calcareous shorelines and plants with affinity for the Atlantic coastal plain. The species at risk section of the Department of Natural Resources and Energy is conducting field work to find new locations for several endangered plant species, including Southern Twayblade, Furbish's Lousewort and Anticosti Aster.
FUNGI
False Morel (Gyromitra esculenta) was seen in the Shediac area on May 5 (NP), along the English Settlement Road near Taymouth on May 9 (JS), at Nashwaaksis on May 18 (JPG) and at Rosevale on May 26 (AW). A Black Morel (Morchella angusticeps) was found growing out of an old rotten stump on the English Settlement Road near Taymouth on May 6; by May 18, 5 fruiting bodies of this species were evident and made their way into Athe most delicious omelette ever!s (JS). Over a dozen Black Morels were found at Keswick Ridge on May 25 (JPG, MB, CM, DGo, KM); some of these were pan-fried in butter and eaten with great appreciation.
Abbreviations:
AC Ansel Campbell, AW Ajo Wissink, BB Bruce Bagnell, BD Bonnie Deveau, BL Bernadette LeBlanc, BS Bev Schneider, CLJ Cecil Johnston, CM Carl Munden, CNPA Club des Naturalistes de la Péninsule acadienne, DGi Don Gibson, DGo Dawn Gordon, DP Debby Peck, DaS Darla Saunders, DwS Dwayne Sabine, DSC David Christie, EP Eileen Pike, GB Gart Bishop, HG Heidi Godbout, JLM Janet L. MacMillan, JPG James Goltz, JR Jessica Robinson, JS Julie Singleton, JW James Walde, KM Kim Mawhinney, MB Maureen Bourque, MC Merv Cormier, ML Mike LeBlanc, MM Martin Marshall, MPa Margie Pacey, MPu Mary Pugh, NP Nelson Poirier, NTNB Nature Trust of New Brunswick, PP Peter Pearce, SB Sean Blaney, SoC Sonia Carpenter, StC Stephen Clayden, SR Sara Richard, SS Shirley Sloat, ST Stuart Tingley, TP Theresa Pearce, VZ Vince Zelazny
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