From kathy at fred.net Thu Dec 1 10:32:20 2022 From: kathy at fred.net (KATHY BILTON) Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2022 11:32:20 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Recipe guide for the Tuesday, December 6, virtual holiday meeting Message-ID: Incoming president, Gabe Johnson, has put together a guide with some Dominican recipes for you to make to have at the virtual party if you want to try something different: http://botsoc.org/BotSoc_Holiday_Recipe_Guide_2022.pdf December 6, festivities will be starting at 6pm. Outgoing President Marcos Caraballo will give his Presidential Address from the Dominican Republic at 7pm. Topic: The Flora of the Caribbean Zoom link for December 6: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85603064263?pwd=b2dhdVhyQVE5NXp4dTVxelhMU1dNUT09 Meeting ID: 856 0306 4263 Passcode: 591779 From kathy at fred.net Sun Dec 4 23:49:20 2022 From: kathy at fred.net (KATHY BILTON) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2022 00:49:20 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Reminder - Holiday party/meeting on Tuesday + Misc. Message-ID: Reminder: Live from the Dominican Republic! Online Holiday Party and meeting on Tuesday, December 6th Festivities will be starting at 6pm. The talk will be at 7pm. Wear some holiday attire (or not) and bring a beverage and some snacks. A recipe guide (including soundtracks) should you wish to make some food or drink with a Caribbean flavor: http://botsoc.org/BotSoc_Holiday_Recipe_Guide_2022.pdf Speaker: Marcos Caraballo will be giving the Presidential Address General Topic: The Flora of the Caribbean Zoom link for December 6: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85603064263?pwd=b2dhdVhyQVE5NXp4dTVxelhMU1dNUT09 Meeting ID: 856 0306 4263 Passcode: 591779 ------------------------------------------------------ Botanists Rediscover ?Extinct? Plant in Mt. Mansfield?s Alpine Zone https://www.wcax.com/2022/11/15/botanists-rediscover-extinct-plant-mt-mansfields-alpine-zone/ Hundred-Year-Old Riddle in Botany Reveals Key Plant Adaptation to Dry Land https://phys.org/news/2022-11-hundred-year-old-riddle-botany-reveals-key.html It?s Public Land. But the Public Can?t Reach It. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/business/hunting-wyoming-elk-mountain-access.html Talking about lichen at Gilfach with Ray Woods https://youtu.be/EOQpR6qgtEc From kathy at fred.net Tue Dec 6 12:44:17 2022 From: kathy at fred.net (KATHY BILTON) Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2022 13:44:17 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Tonight's event is Zoom only! Message-ID: Some have asked whether the meeting tonight might be in person or hybrid - but no - it's strictly Zoom! There has been no date set for a return to in-person meetings at the Smithsonian. Whenever that does occur, they should be available online as well so people can continue to attend from afar. Holiday Party and meeting on Tuesday, December 6th Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85603064263?pwd=b2dhdVhyQVE5NXp4dTVxelhMU1dNUT09 Festivities will be starting at 6pm. The talk will be at 7pm. Wear some holiday attire (or not) and bring a beverage and some snacks. A recipe guide (including soundtrack) should you wish to make some food or drink with a Caribbean flavor: http://botsoc.org/BotSoc_Holiday_Recipe_Guide_2022.pdf Speaker: Marcos Caraballo will be giving the Presidential Address (from the Dominican Republic) General Topic: The Flora of the Caribbean Zoom link for December 6: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85603064263?pwd=b2dhdVhyQVE5NXp4dTVxelhMU1dNUT09 Meeting ID: 856 0306 4263 Passcode: 591779 From Rod.Simmons at alexandriava.gov Wed Dec 7 12:56:03 2022 From: Rod.Simmons at alexandriava.gov (Rod Simmons) Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2022 18:56:03 +0000 Subject: [BSW] December 18, 2022 Annual Winter Solstice Field Trip and Hooley at Travilah Serpentine Barrens, Montgomery County, MD Message-ID: December 18, 2022 Annual Winter Solstice Field Trip and Hooley at Travilah Serpentine Barrens, Montgomery County, MD [cid:image001.jpg at 01D90A41.D97A1930] "There are mushrooms for a brain, owl talons, vervain, and mandrake, and something else, unnamed, that sets the shallow winter sap upon its face and grants the Greenman motion and binds him to the forest waste." - Ari Berk, Anatomies Sunday, December 18, 2022 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Field trip co-sponsored by the Maryland Native Plant Society, Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, and Botanical Society of Washington. This year's solstice walk will be dedicated in memoriam to Lou Aronica. Leaders: Rod Simmons and John Parrish Celebrate the beginning of the winter season at the old-age Travilah Serpentine Barrens (Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park-North Unit) with its spectacular scenery and diversity of native plants, wildlife, and natural communities! https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=29c15145ae60524cJmltdHM9MTY2OTU5MzYwMCZpZ3VpZD0zMDU2NWNmYy0zMWRmLTY3ZDMtMjI3Mi00ZWEwMzA4ZDY2ZjMmaW5zaWQ9NTE5OA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=30565cfc-31df-67d3-2272-4ea0308d66f3&psq=Travilah+Serpentine+barrens&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly92bnBzLm9yZy90YWtlLWEtd2Fsay1vbi10aGUtd2lsZC1zaWRlLXRyYXZpbGFoLWJhcnJlbnMv&ntb=1 https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=c586bdbab21d6de6JmltdHM9MTY2OTU5MzYwMCZpZ3VpZD0zMDU2NWNmYy0zMWRmLTY3ZDMtMjI3Mi00ZWEwMzA4ZDY2ZjMmaW5zaWQ9NTI4MA&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=30565cfc-31df-67d3-2272-4ea0308d66f3&psq=Travilah+Serpentine+barrens&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2FyY2hpdmUvbG9jYWwvMTk5OS8wOS8yMy90cmF2aWxhaHMtdHJlYXN1cmVzLzE3YzNkMTljLTQzMGUtNDJiNC04OWQyLTUzY2FlNmFmODI2My8&ntb=1 https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=79b41aae2e811c76JmltdHM9MTY2OTU5MzYwMCZpZ3VpZD0zMDU2NWNmYy0zMWRmLTY3ZDMtMjI3Mi00ZWEwMzA4ZDY2ZjMmaW5zaWQ9NTQwNQ&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=30565cfc-31df-67d3-2272-4ea0308d66f3&psq=Travilah+Serpentine+barrens&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL3N0b3J5LnBocD9zdG9yeV9mYmlkPTEwMTUzNzgzMTQ1MzYyMjk1JmlkPTIzMjY0MTA5MjI5NA&ntb=1 https://mcatlas.org/parks/?find=S18 The Travilah Serpentine Barrens (Serpentine Barrens Conservation Park ) is the mid-Atlantic region's stellar example of a globally-rare forested serpentinite community. This vegetation type once comprised many thousands of acres in the area of Montgomery County west of Potomac and Rockville, with less than 1,000 acres of this unusual local landscape preserved today. Serpentinite is an ultramafic rock derived from magnesium-rich silicate materials that typically weathers to a soil that is high in magnesium and iron. The Travilah serpentinite is dark grayish green and closely underlies the surface, frequently outcropping throughout. Soils of this type are fairly nutrient deficient and produce a somewhat stunted vegetation mainly characterized by oaks, hickories, pines, and grasses, though plants of the Rosaceae, Cyperaceae, and Lamiaceae, among others, are also prominent. A major difference between floras of calcareous soils and magnesium- and calcium-rich soils of diabase and ultrabasic sites vs. serpentinite soils (which are very high in magnesium but generally very low in calcium levels) is that the diversity of plant species and herbs in particular is generally much higher on calcium-rich soils than on magnesium-rich, calcium-poor soils like serpentinite. Thus, serpentinite sites often appear as grassy "barrens", savannahs, and glades. Geologist Tony Fleming, who has studied the Travilah site, further adds, "one thing that I think hasn't been adequately explored is the calcium-magnesium ratio. The ideal ratio for most plants is around 8:1. It wouldn't surprise me if there's some tipping point, maybe 2:1 or thereabouts, below which things start to get weird. Aside from competing for the same valence sites as calcium, magnesium also complexes readily with other minor nutrients, notably sulfur and phosphate; ergo, when magnesium saturation reaches a certain point, some of these other things cease to become available to plants. Most or all serpentine bodies are way below that level. It is amazing how the ideas about serpentine geo-ecology have evolved. The conventional wisdom used to be that 'high' levels of chromium, cobalt, nickel, etc., made these sites toxic, but that doesn't seem to have anything to do with it, since many serpentine bodies have low levels of these metals yet still have the distinctive vegetation." Much of the forest at the Travilah site is old-growth, despite the relatively short height of the canopy trees. The canopy is predominately White, Northern Red, and Post oaks; Sweet Pignut, Mockernut, and Pignut hickories; and Shortleaf and Virginia pines. Prominent understory plants are Eastern Red Cedar, Blackjack Oak, Sweet Crabapple (Malus coronaria), a variety of hawthorns (Crataegus spp.), Black Haw, Redbud, Dogwood, Fringetree, and others. Some sections of the forest floor are densely vegetated with colonies of ericaceous plants of the Heath Family, such as Deerberry, Lowbush Blueberry, and Black Huckleberry. Others are extensive glades of graminoids (grasses and grasslike plants) and wildflowers, many of which are regionally rare. Old place names nearby also denote the extent of the once-vast serpentine barrens that occurred at Travilah, such as Big Pines, Quince Orchard (generic name for Rosaceae woody plants common to serpentinite communities like Sweet Crabapple and Hawthorn), and Greenbrier Creek. We'll also see many native grasses and plants typical of meadows and prairies and a rare Upland Depression Swamp. Field trip is free and open to non-members. Registration is not required. *For ARMN members, this event should apply towards advanced training hours in botany, dendrology, forest ecology, and geology. Bring: Wear sturdy shoes and bring lunch or snacks and water. Most of the walk traverses flat, fairly open woodland, open glades, and grassy areas over gently rolling uplands, though some routes may be moderately rocky. Directions: Exit from the Capital Beltway (495) onto River Road heading west towards the village of Potomac (junction of Falls Road and River Road). Continue on River Road westward past this intersection app. 1.7 miles to Piney Meetinghouse Road. Turn right onto Piney Meetinghouse Road and proceed gradually uphill for app. 2 miles. Turn left onto Palatine Drive and proceed about 1 mile to the intersection with Greenbriar Road. Take a right onto Greenbriar Road and proceed app. 1/2 mile to Centurion Way. Take a right onto Centurion Way and proceed app. 1/3 mile - and when you start seeing the high-wire power lines, please begin parking along the right side of street first, as space allows. Centurion Way is only about 1/2 mile long and ends as a cul-de-sac, so we'll have to park along both sides of the street. This is a residential neighborhood, so please make sure not to block driveways or street access and to take care not to leave ruts or tire tracks in grass along the road shoulder. When the right side fills up, please circle around and park on left side of the road. After parking, walk to the edge of the power line where we'll meet. *As you're heading uphill on Piney Meetinghouse Road, look for signs of how the landscape (geology, soils, and vegetation) changes as the road nears the high ridge of the serpentine barrens. The Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest below gradually changes to a much more open woodland of oaks and pines - hence the name Piney Meetinghouse! - and abundant outcrops of serpentinite. As you head closer to the meeting location - through a broad expanse of scalped forest, McMansions, and plantings of invasive ornamental grasses and fruit trees - take note of the relative abundance of Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata), probably the region's single largest occurrence. *In the event of heavy-steady snow, sleet, or pouring rain, or icy, dangerous conditions of roads, the field trip will be cancelled. https://mdflora.org/event-5067415 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 14938 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From kathy at fred.net Tue Dec 13 16:53:27 2022 From: kathy at fred.net (KATHY BILTON) Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:53:27 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] January 3: Rutaceae + Marcos' recording + Misc. Message-ID: Speaker for our January 3, 2023, meeting: Dr. Marc Appelhans, herbarium curator and researcher at the University of G?ttingen His subject matter will focus on recent systematic research on the Rutaceae including several of its North American representatives.? Time: 7pm, with "doors" opening by 6:45. Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89234297170?pwd=dERoTldhUGZJb3AyaVZleHE2a2ViQT09 Meeting ID: 892 3429 7170 Passcode: 040188 ------------------------------------------- Recording of Marcos's talk: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/TMRLznTVfoYmtxUListJ4cLtsexlHhk1JhJo74p5RA0cmfy-u-FZazNn4TB0jZVf._ltWsSk1fmZE9l-B Passcode: rC=46QNy ----------------------------------------- Recently on NPR, a story about the sugar industry in the DR: The Bitter Work Behind Sugar - Reveal https://revealnews.org/podcast/the-bitter-work-behind-sugar-update-2022/ ----------------------------------------- The Poinsettia?s Forgotten History https://www.axios.com/2022/12/13/poinsettia-history-mexico-christmas-plant --------------------------------------------------------- New Arctic Report Warns of Disturbances for People, Plants and Animals https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-arctic-report-warns-of-disturbances-for-people-plants-and-animals/ --------------------------------------------------------- On another topic - a friend contacted me yesterday to tell me she was planning to go on a February 5-14 birding trip to Costa Rica and they are looking for 2 more folks to join the trip in order to get better fares (out of BWI airport). A link to info about the trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5xn_Wya9MY From kathy at fred.net Fri Dec 30 19:44:40 2022 From: kathy at fred.net (KATHY BILTON) Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2022 20:44:40 -0500 (EST) Subject: [BSW] Next meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 3 + Misc. Message-ID: Reminder: The next BSW meeting is coming up soon, this coming Tuesday, January 3 at 7PM, doors opening by 6:45. Our speaker will be Dr. Marc Appelhans, herbarium curator and researcher at the University of G?ttingen. His subject matter will focus on recent systematic research on the Rutaceae including several of its North American representatives.? Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89234297170?pwd=dERoTldhUGZJb3AyaVZleHE2a2ViQT09 Meeting ID: 892 3429 7170 Passcode: 040188 ----------------------------------------------------------- The recording of Marcos's talk has been moved from Zoom to YouTube: https://youtu.be/QunUKZ_CvnA "Katy Johnson wrote a beautiful article with photos about the 2022 Solstice Walk in the?Winter 2023 edition of the?Potowmack News?newsletter" https://vnps.org/potowmack/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/dlm_uploads/2022/12/Potowmack-News-2023-01-Winter.pdf Migratory Birds, Boreal Forest, Carnivorous Plants All Thrive at New Up North Nature Preserve https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/12/migratory-birds-boreal-forest-carnivorous-plants-all-thrive-at-new-up-north-nature-preserve.html The Senegal Man on a Mission to Plant Five Million Trees https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64022938 Ethereal Color Variant of Mysterious Plant is Actually a New Species https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221227174549.htm Scientists Grow First Plants in Lunar Soil https://astronomy.com/news/2022/12/scientists-grow-first-plants-in-lunar-soil Pot rescue: the Spaniards who rush to save abandoned houseplants https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/28/pot-rescue-the-spaniards-who-rush-to-aid-of-abandoned-houseplants After a Frantic Year, It?s Time for ?Slow Birding? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/14/realestate/after-a-frantic-year-its-time-for-slow-birding.html They Fought the Lawn. And the Lawn Lost. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/14/climate/native-plants-lawns-homeowners.html ? Happy New Year to all! ?