Bryophyte Walk Report

Mosses and Liverworts report from the Muhlenberg Botanic Club walk at Steinman Run and Trout Run Preserves of the Lancaster County Conservancy on June 7th, 2008 right :Steinman Run

Six Muhlenberg Botanical Club members came and we saw 15 species of outstanding mosses and five outstanding liverworts. It was a very satisfying outing for those who came out on a hot day and enjoyed the slow walk down into the cooler valley. The rain a day or two before had the bryophytes in fine condition.

Here are a few pictures of mosses and liverworts that I took that day. More pictures and descriptions are on the plant list page for the bryophyte walk.

above: Dicranium sp.

Bryophyte Walk at Steinman Preserve/Trout Run Preserve Saturday June 7, 2008. Meet at the preserve at 10 am (Or at the North Museum at 9:30 am)

Dr. Susan Munch, Tim Draude and I did some scouting for mosses and liverworts a few weeks ago and we found a nice variety of easily accessible species at along Steinman Run and Trout Run in Southern Lancaster Co..

Photo of Mnium species by Mike Slater

We all agreed this would be an excellent place for interested Muhlenberg members and guests to learn about mosses and liverworts on a Bryophyte Walk. Therefore Dr. Susan Munch, who gave us an excellent presentation on mosses and liverworts based on her book "Outsatnding Mosses and Liverworts of Pennsylvania", will take us down the valley at Stienman Run Preserve and Trout Run Preserve, which are owned by the Lancaster County Conservancy, on Saturday June 7, 2008.

We will meet ether at the North Museum at F&M University at 9:30am and car pool from there OR at the Steinman Run Preserve Parking lot on Stump Road at 10am. Directions to the Steinman Run Preserve parking are below. The walking is easy and we will be going slowly looking for bryophytes (mosses and liverworts.) in this nice little valley. In case anyone is late late we will be going downstream (on the opposite side of the road from from the parking area). The trail starts as an old road blocked by a cable. We will take the trail down along Steinman to the confluence with Trout Run and maybe follow the trail down along trout run if we have time. We will be coming back up the same trail.

Susan Munch's book "Outstanding Mosses and Liverworts of Pennsylvania" will be helpful, if you own a copy bring it along otherwise Susan will have a few loaner copies available as well as new copies to sell.

I hope to see many of yout on Saturday.

_______________________________________________________________________

Directions from Lancaster to the Steinman Run Preserve Parking Area:

(Note that my directions are different from the ones on the Lancaster Conservancy's web site. Both will get you there but mine are shorter.)

From Lancaster city go south on Rte. 272 across the Conestoga River proceed about 7 miles .

Turn RIGHT on Pennsy Road . (WEST) This is just before the highway goes through the tunnel under the Railroad.

Go miles 1.0 mile.

Turn LEFT on Kreider Rd. (If you miss this turn make the next left on Rawlinsville Road.)

Go 0.1 mile (1/10 mile) to intersection with Rawlinsville Rd and go straight (South) on Rawlinsville Rd.)

Go 0.85 miles on Rawlinsville Road to where Rawlinsville Road turns RIGHT. Stay on Rawlinsville Road. (DO NOT go Straight on Clearfield Road.)

Go 0.5 miles on Rawlinsville Road to the junction with Sigman Road. and go another 100 feet and bear right on Stump Road. Proceed 0.8 miles to the dirt parking lot on the left BEFORE you cross the creek. The Steinman Preserve parking lot entrance is somewhat obscure so go slowly!

Mike Slater

Muhlenberg Botanical Socitety April 2008 Field Trips

Complete 2008 Field Trip List

Saturday, April 19: Benton Hollow and Haines Station
Meet at Musser Grocery Store on Rt. 272 at the Buck, south side of parking lot at 9:00 am. We’ll go Benton Hollow first. Bring your own bag lunch; we’ll return to the cars to eat. In the afternoon we'll visit Haines Station to see the pink Trillium grandiflorum. Each walk is 1 ½ mile round trip, easy to moderate. Trip leader: Joan King (717-284-5239 or jsking1@lycos.com).

Sunday, April 27: Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center and State Game Lands 52. Meet at 10 am at Nolde Forest EEC's Sawmill Parking Lot.
At Nolde Forestwe will see a stream side woodland with spring ephemerals and an upland forest. Easy walking trails, but some hills. After lunch those who wish to will travel to State Game Lands #52, about 5 miles away on the Berks Co./Lancaster Co. line (between Maple Grove and Churchtown). We will explore in the woods along Black Creek, where there are interesting plants among the diabase boulders and outcrops.

Directions from Lancaster to Nolde Forest. (Travel time from Lancaster ca. 40 min.):
Take US 222 north, past the PA Turnpike for 2 miles to the NEW Adamstown-Knauers exit.
Turn Right onto Rte 568 east, go 2 miles. At the traffic light, turn left on Rt. 625 north. Go approximately 4.25 miles (past Hickory Rd and Freemansville Rd and 2/3 mile past the main
Nolde Entrance). Turn left into the Sawmill parking lot entrance; if you come to Church Rd.
on the left you have gone too far.

At SGL#52 there is no trail along the creek, so some boulder hopping is necessary. We will park in the big parking area along Edwards Rd. just north of the bridge over the PA Turnpike. Moderate walk, bring your own bag lunch. Trip leader: Mike Slater (610-775-3757 or mslater@voicenet.com).


Complete 2008 Field Trip List

Some Grass Flowers at the Muhlenberg Meadow

Some interesting grass flowers seen on the Muhlenberg Botanic Club walk to the Muhlenberg Meadow at Lancaster County Central Park

Today five of us braved the very light rain to stroll through the Muhlenberg Meadow. Tim Draude talked about the planting he and other club volunteers did about 10 years ago to crate the meadow and the volunteer work that is done to keep out trees, shrubs and invasive weeds. Many flowers were in bloom, you can see the list of plants at the meadow here.

I particularly enjoyed looking closely at grasses in bloom which I think are intricately beautiful. Here are pictures of the flowers of two of our large native grasses at the meadow. Tripsacum dactyloides (Eastern Gamma Grass) is related to corn, Zea mays, and has separate male flowers above the female flowers as corn does. In this case yellow stamens and fuzzy purple pistils.

I took some pictures of Sorgastrum nutans (Indian Grass) in bloom with its noticeable yellow stamens and didn't realize the female parts of the flowers were visible until I got home and downloaded the pictures to the computer. The visibility of the cute little fuzzy-white pistils was a pleasant surprise.

Everyone who gets a chance should visit this lovely meadow with an amazing number of plant species native to Lancaster County. I plan on posting some more pictures from the Muhlenberg Meadow later this week. You can see some other people’s pictures of the meadow here.

Muhlenberg Botanic Club Field Trip to Conoy Park/Falmouth Boat Launch

Muhlenberg Botanic Club Field Trip

August 11, 2007

Leader: Fred Habegger plus 12 members of the club.

Falmouth Boat Ramp – Conoy Canal Park 10am -12 noon (After a brownbag lunch several of us went down river to Vinegar Ferry, see below for addition plants)

Weather was nice and sunny, the humidity had dropped from earlier in the week and we had a pleasant day.



We walked trail through the woods upriver to second power cut (Large Corten Steel Pylons) then bushwhacked out to the river. Where we explored the diabase bedrock where it has been scoured and carved by the Susquehanna river. Many beautiful potholes are there where swirling flood water has ground in circular holes in the hard and smooth diabase with the aid of pebbles spinning inside them. Many interesting plants were seen. In the woods, power cuts and in the riverbed among the rocks. All done with dry feet!

Plants in BOLD are pictured

Acer negundo, Boxelder (fr)

Acer saccharinum, Silver Maple

Ailanthus altissima, *Tree-of-heaven, (fr)

Alopecurus sp, *Foxtail grass

Amaranthus sp, Pigweed (fl)

Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Common Ragweed (fl)

Ambrosia trifida, Giant Ragweed (fl)

Amorpha fruticosa, False-indigo (fr)

Andropogon girardii, Big blue-stem (fl)

Apios americana, Ground-nut, Wild-bean (fl)

Apocynum cannabianum, Indian hemp (fr)

Arctium minus, *Common Burdock (fl & fr)

Artemisia annua, *Annual wormwood

Artemisia vulgaris, *Mugwort

Asclepias incarnata, Swamp milkweed (fl)

Asclepias syriaca, Common Milkweed

Asimina triloba, Pawpaw

Avens sp,

Cannabis sativa, *Marijuana (one small plant growing out in the rocks)

Carya ovata, Shagbark Hickory

Celtis occidentalis, Hackberry

Cercis canadensis, Redbud

Cersium arvense, *Canada thstle (fr)

Chamacyce maculata, Spotted Spurge (fl)

Chamacyce nutans, Eye-bane (fl)

Chamaechrista fasciculata, Partridge-pea (fl)

Clematis species

Commelina communis, dayflower (fl)

Cyperus esculenta, Yellow nutsedge (fl)

Datura stramonium, *Jimsonweed (fl & fr)

Daucus carota, *Queen Anne's Lace

Desmodium canadense, Showy tick-trefoil (fl)

Dioscorea villosa, Wild Yam (fr)

Elymus hystrix, Bottlebrush grass (fr)

Erichtites hieraciifolia, fierweed, Pilewort (fl)

Erigeron philadelphicus, Common Fleabane (fl)

Eupatorium fistulosum, Joe-pye-weed (fl)

Eupatorium perfoliatum, Boneset (fl)

Eupatorium serotinum (fl)

Euphorbia corollata, Flowering spurge (fl)

Fraxinus sp., Ash Species

Helianthus divaricatus, Thin-leaved Sunflower (fl)

Helianthus tuberosus, Jerusalem Artichoke (fl)

Hibiscus laevis (H. millitaris), Halberd-leaved mallow (fl)

Humulus japonicus,*Japanese Hops (fl)

Ipomoea pandurata, Wild Sweet Potato (fl)

Justicia americana, Water willow (fr)

Ligustrum sp, *Privet

Lindera benzoin, Spicebush (fr)

Lonicera japonica, * Japanese honeysuckle

Lythrum salicaria, *Purple loostrife (fl)

Melilotus officionalis, *Yellow sweet-clover (fl)

Menispermum canadense , Moonseed

Microstegium vimineum, *Japanese stilt grass

Mimulus ringens, Allegheny monkey-flower

Mollugo verticillata, Carpetweed (fl)

Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot (fr)

Oenothrea biennis, Evening-primrose (fl)

Panicum virgatum, Switch grass (fr)

Phyla laceolata (Lippia lanceolata ) ,Fogfruit (fl)

Physocarpus opulifolius, Ninebark (fr)

Plantanus x acerifolia, *London Plane

Polygonum cuspidatum, *Japanese knotweed

Polygonum perfoliatum, *Mile-a-minute weed (fr)

Polygonum sp, Smartweed (fl)

Quercus bicolor, Swamp White Oak

Robinia pseudoacacia, Black Locust

Rosa multiflora, *Multiflora rose (fr)

Rubus phoenicolasius, *Wineberry

Rudbeckia laciniata, Green-headed Coneflower (fl)

Schrophularia marilandica, Eastern figwort, Carpenter's Square (fl)

Sicyos angulata, Bur cucumber (fl)

Silene alba (Lychnis alba), *White campion (fl)

Solanum nigrum, Black nightshade (fl-fr)

Solidago gigantea, Tall goldenrod (fl)

Staphylea trifolia, Baldderpod (fr)

Taraxacum officionale, *Dandelion (fl)

Toxicodendron radicans, Poison ivy (fr)

Ulmus rubra, Slippery Elm

Verbena hastata, Blue vervain (fl)

Verbena urticifolia, White vervain (fl)

Verbesina alternifolia, Wingsem (fl)

Vitus sp., Grape (fr)

Xanthium strumarium, Cocklebur, (fr)

River Front Park – Vinegar Ferry RD. 1pm-3pm

Fred Habagger, Tim Draude, Mike and Jan Slater

Additional plants seen/identified:

Apocynum canabianum v. hypericifolium, prostrate Indian hemp (fr)

Cynanchum laeve (Ampelamus albidus), Smooth swallow-wort (fl)

Elymus canadense (fr)

Elymus villosa (fr)

Elymus virginicus (fr)

Heteranthera dubia (Zosterella dubia), Water Star Grass (fl)

Polygonatum biflorum var coomutatum (P. canaliculatum), Giant Solomon's-seal (fr)

Polygonum lapathifolium, (fl)

Polygonum pennsylvanicum, (fl)

Salix sp, a shrubby willow

Urtica sp, Nettle (fl) with a Quesionmark Caterpillar feeding on it.

*Introduced from outside eastern North America

(fl) seen in flower

(fr) seen in fruit