2014 Spring Wildflower Thread

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Early May...

Spotted Turtle Clemmys guttata Powow Pond, East Kingston, NH 5/1 Nikon D600 Nikkor 70-300mm @300mm ISO 450 f/5.6 1/320sec

Bloodroot Sanguanaria canadensis & Wake Robin Trillium erectum in Epping, NH 5/2 Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @35mm ISO 1000 f/16 1/60sec

Sessile-leaved Bellwort "Wild Oats" Uvularia sessilifolia In Epping, NH 5/3 Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @55mm ISO 2200 f/16 1/100sec

Marsh Marigolds Caltha palustris in Newton, NH 5/6 Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @50mm ISO 100 f/11 1/100sec

Trout Lily Erythronium americanum in Epping, NH 5/8 Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @17mm ISO 100 f/22 1/15sec

Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula in Kingston, NH 5/9 Nikon D600 Nikkor 70-300mm @300mm ISO 1400 f/8.0 1/320sec

Painted Trillium Trillium undulatum on Mount Monadnock 5/12 Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @50mm ISO 100 f/8.0 1/200sec

KDT

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Nodding Trillium Trillium cernuum along Lamprey River, Epping, NH 5/13 Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @70mm ISO 900 f/13 1/125sec

Pink Lady's Slipper Cypripedium acaule Webster Wildlife Preserve 5/14 Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @35mm ISO 640 f/14 1/60sec

KDT

 

[John in NH]

A few shots from the Concord, NH area on 5/16 and 5/18

Tons of Fringed Polygala out:

They were literally lining the trails at points

My first Painted Trillium of the year:

Starflower

Fringed Polygala and brand new Maple Leaf (the trees just leafed out in this area earlier this week)

The pollinator (Bumble Bee) doing its work in garden Azalea

And of course with the bees comes the birds. This guy was hoping around in some underbrush at the edge of a pond. I believe based on the call and the looks of it, it might be a Bicknell's Thrush, but I thought they were only at higher elevation? Could it be another kind of thrush? The tail was brown like its wings, not reddish. Any bird experts out there?

 

[nartreb]

That's a Veery.

 

[nartreb]

Does anybody know how to distinguish American wood anemone (A. quinquefolia) from European (A. nemorosa)? It seems that both can occur in Massachusetts.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

5/15-5/20 2014

Wood Anenome Anenome quinqueifolia Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 38mm ISO 400 f/8 1/125sec

Common Wintercress Barbarea vulgaria Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 70mm ISO 400 f/8 1/400sec

Dwarf Ginseng Panax trifolius Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 62mm ISO 200 f/8 1/250sec

Possibly?:Canada Anemone Anemone canadensis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 70mm ISO 1250 f/11 1/125sec

Large White Trillium Trillium grandiflorum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 19mm ISO 400 f/8 1/125sec

Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 38mm ISO 400 f/16 1/200sec

Pink Lady's Slipper Cypripedium acaule Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 50mm ISO 3200 f/16 1/80sec

Ragged Robin Lychnis flos-cuculi Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 58mm ISO 400 f/8 1/500sec

Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 70mm ISO 280 f/16 1/125sec

Pale Corydalis Corydalis sempervirens Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70 @ 70mm ISO 360 f/16 1/125sec


KDT

 

[nartreb]

Blue Hills today:

purple pitcher

Starflower

pink lady's slipper

unknown gall

bluebead lily

wild geranium

 

[Jason Berard]

Interesting day out today, after a LONG weekend sitting on the sidelines of soccer fields in the Needham area all weekend.
I came across the following while walking in the Upper Valley of NH/VT (seen on on both sides of the river).
Cardamine dentata, or white cuckoo bitter-cress (I think).
bladdernut (beautiful clusters of bell-shaped flowers!)
showy orchis
yellow lady's slipper
walking fern
and large white trillium.

Conditions were terrible for pictures today! Plus, all I had was my phone.

 

[John in NH]

nartreb-- thanks for the help identifying the veery thrush. Looking online now that's got to be it.

Anyone notice any rhodora in bloom yet? Typically around this date I see it around chocorua, under whitewall mountain, hancock notch, etc. Just wondering if it is in bloom or late this year at all?

Last sunday 5/25/14 I got a few shots from the East Pond loop from Tripoli Road. The painted Trillium were flowering and crisp looking. The purple trillium were already wilted or missing flowers. Hobblebush in full bloom.

Painted Trillium

Hobblebush in bloom


I came across (edit What I thought might be some yellow lady's slippers. Two were definitely yellow in color), and this one I wasn't sure if it was yellow, or a pink lady slipper that hadn't matured full yet:

 

[nartreb]

You mean yellow lady's slipper? Please be much more vague about the location - they're quite rare in New Hampshire, and though they're not so rare elsewhere, they're vulnerable to collectors. (A total of nine known sites in the state for the two species.)

The photo you show is definitely a pink lady's slipper. They're very pale when they first begin to flower. Also they are very variable in final color, from pure white to purplish, but I think yours will end up a normal pink.

 

[John in NH]

Sorry, I had no idea the rarity of yellow lady's slippers or the threat from plant poachers. The other 2 I referenced may in fact be immature pink lady's slippers that are starting out yellow. I bet I mis-identified them because there was no pinkish streaks in them. I have removed location in previous post, but am sure if the yellow lady's slippers are that rare that its not them. I am not an expert in plants yet. Sorry for the false alarm.

 

[nartreb]

Those two are also Pink lady's-slippers. They can have faintly greenish overtones in their white buds, which is what I see in your photo (some of which may be reflected light from the leaves, and some due to your camera settings - some, but not all of your photos, look a little yellow-washed to me, so I was surprised that you reported this looked yellow to the naked eye). Unlike the previous photo I don't see any pink in these buds, and the one on the right is nearing its final shape, so it'll probably remain white. Yellow lady's slippers are *bright* yellow (when mature - paler as buds but not as pale as this), and have a different structure.

 

[John in NH]

I agree that they are not yellow lady slippers now. In person they appeared pale yellow (with a slight greenish tint). But they definitely had no pink streaks whatsoever. They were not bright yellow. And the yellow ones are rare like you say. Thanks for all the info and help with identifications!

As for the yellowish tint, that might be a combination the "cloudy" setting I had as default on raw images and the fact that up until a few months ago I was making the mistake of editing on a laptop, which was making the images look brighter and less saturated than they were in prints or on a desktop monitor. So sometimes I couldn't see the true tints or brightness on the old laptop. But nothing is intentionally manipulated. I just do basic adjustments when processing my raw images.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

May 27 Southeastern Vermont-May 29 Southeastern NH

Yellow Lady's Slipper Cypripedium pubescens Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @55mm ISO400 f/11 1/30sec

Foam Flower Tiarella cordifolia Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @70mm ISO400 f/11 1/30sec

Forget me not Myosotis scorpioides Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @70mm ISO400 f/11 1/40sec

Large White Trillium Trillium grandiflorum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @26mm ISO400 f/11 1/50sec

Large White Trillium Trillium grandiflorum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @42mm ISO400 f/11 1/60sec

Clintonia Clintonia borealis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @70mm ISO400 f/14 1/30sec

Large White Trillium Trillium grandiflorum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @70mm ISO400 f/11 1/50sec

Large White Trillium Trillium grandiflorum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @35mm ISO400 f/11 1/25sec

Foam Flower Tiarella cordifolia Jack in the Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @38mm ISO400 f/11 1/20sec

Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @42mm ISO400 f/20 1/10sec

Herb Robert Geranium robertianum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @70mm ISO400 f/6.3 1/80sec

Dame's Rocket Hesperis matronalis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @32mm ISO400 f/16 1/200sec

KDT

 

[weatherman]

I think my blood pressure just went down 10 points looking at these photos on a break from work. Thanks all!

 

[J&J]

Painted Quadrillium (at least that's what I call it, a Painted Trillium with four petals, four sepals, four leaves). This is the second Quadrillium I've seen in the Whites.

 

[Jason Berard]

Nice find, John! I've only ever seen one (near Eastman Ledges on the Kodak Trail on Cube).

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

A few from White Lake and Mount Chocorua

Awesome, John! I have never seen one except in pictures! I'm looking at this and wondering: maybe there is 5 petals? Is that another between the 2 lower ones? Great find, great pic!

Pink Lady's Slipper Cypripedium acaule Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @17mm ISO400 f/11 1/20sec

High-bush Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @70mm ISO400 f/8 1/125sec

Rhodora Rhododendron canadensis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @70mm ISO400 f/11 1/160sec

Rhodora Rhododendron canadensis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @17mm ISO400 f/5.0 1/1250sec

Rhodora Rhododendron canadensis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @17mm ISO400 f/5.0 1/1600sec

Rhodora Rhododendron canadensis Nikon D600 Sigma 17-70mm @17mm ISO400 f/5.0 1/1600sec

KDT

 

[sdways01]

Painted Quadrillium (at least that's what I call it, a Painted Trillium with four petals, four sepals, four leaves). This is the second Quadrillium I've seen in the Whites.

I found a Painted Quadrillium (that is what I was going to call it too) last Sunday on Mt. Abraham in VT. I haven't gotten to doing anything with those photos yet though. It's still nothing compared to the one I saw last year with 9 petals though.

 

[John in NH]

The lupines are blooming late this year. This past weekend around Sugar Hill, NH there were just a few starting to bloom. My guess is that it will be a good show by next weekend however. Here are the few examples of blooms I did manage to get: