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Buck Creek Barrens Fall 2024 Hike |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2024) |
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Buck Creek Barrens Fall 2024 Hike |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2024) |
| Early October 2024 On a nice early autumn morning, I led Elaine, Jo, Merle and Brenda on a hike along one of the FS roads at Buck Creek. A few photos of some of the things we saw along the way: |
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| Appalachian Gentian, aka Showy Gentian (Gentiana decora) |
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| Nodding Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes cernua complex) |
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| Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia) |
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| Orange-fruited Horse Gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum), which I had found here the week before. |
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| Lobster Mushrooms (Hypomyces lactifluorum) |
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| H. lactifluorum is a parasitic fungus that grows on certain species of mushrooms, turning them a reddish orange color. It specifically attacks members of the genera Lactarius and Lactifluus (milk-caps), and Russula (brittlegills). At maturity, the H. lactifluorum thoroughly covers its host, rendering it unidentifiable. |
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| Brenda, Elaine, Bruce and Jo Merle took the pic. |
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| Jo took another pic to include Merle. |
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| Wolf's Milk (Lycogala epidendrum) A species of myxogastrid amoeba which is often mistaken for a fungus. None of us had seen this before. |
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| A fallen limb with an assortment of lichen species. |
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| Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) |
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| British Soldier Lichen (Cladonia cristatella) |
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| At the entrance to the Cullakeenee corundum mine adit. |