Report on the Wendell Hoomes Wildflower Hike, April 15, 2023.
While the wildflowers were not flamboyantly abundant, participants enjoyed the day and found many things – blooming or not – to share and enjoy.
Dr. Morgan noted that there were actually many things blooming, though most had small flowers that may have been difficult to notice. Some of the things he saw flowering: three species of huckleberries, pawpaw, at least four grasses, four or five sedges, two species of wood sorrel, atamasco lily, bluets, green and gold, coreopsis, mayapple, Jack in the pulpit, wild ginger, and two orchids (pink lady’s slipper and adder’s mouth). Quite a few fungi too, and some oak apple galls.
Except for one thing, everything Dr. Morgan saw was documented in the 2009-2010 survey* he did of the plants at McIntosh. The only exception was the pink lady’s slipper orchid that he has never before seen in the park. Wendell Hoomes showed Dr. Morgan where the transplanted ones were set out, but the ones seen this April 15 were some distance from there. Finding them caused a lot of excitement among everyone!
*Dr. Morgan’s 2009-2010 park survey is available in our Publications portion of the FOMR website.
Click on the picture below to see a set of photos from Dr. Morgan’s talk.
