An Orchid and Two Mystery Ferns

I took a stroll this afternoon along the path we are making to our nearest neighbors' house not quite a quarter mile away.  The path goes from the back of our property and heads north along the edge of (and sometimes into) the marsh that borders Black Creek.  There is still much evidence of Hurricane Iris (2001) in the twisted and downed trees.  Not many trees are very tall.  The largest trees were decapitated by Iris.  It is sad to see the magnificence of these large trees reduced.  But what was bad for the trees has provided an opportunity for other plants.   The more open canopy and abundant amounts of dead wood are good conditions for many epiphytes including orchids and at least 1 fern species.  The photo below is of an orchid called Catasetum integerrimum. Its roots grow up; the thought is that they catch detritus for nutrients.  It is a common orchid whose flowers are fertilized by bees.  I haven't seen any blossoms yet, but will keep an eye out for them.  

See the roots growing up?  And the big seed pod in the foreground is at least 6 inches long.

I think showed photos already of a huge fern that is over 7 feet tall.  The fern below is a little smaller, only 4 or so feet tall. 

Growing tips of new frond.

Fiddle head unfurling.

The spore-bearing sori are on either side of the mid-rib of the leaflets.  This will help me key it out when I get my books down here.

Another fern I saw is an epiphytic fern, that, like the orchids, is taking advantage of the downed wood.

The rhizomes are twining around the tree root that is growing over a fallen tree.

The fronds of younger plants are not as elongate.

Older specimens had spore-bearing fronds with sori arranged in pairs of dots, one on each side of the  mid-rib.

It seems I have my work cut out for me. 

A Bit of Belize: Land, Sea, and Air

A small selection of photos from two of my Belize kayak trips back in October and November; mostly to bring to mind a warm,sunny place on these cold February days when we are so ready for spring.  Spring is still a few months away for us in Minnesota.  :-( 
The two "land" photos were taken along the canal where I was surprised to see a couple of ferns growing just above the water line.  

I haven't keyed this fern out yet.  It appears to be a climbing fern that was growing profusely on the banks of the canal. I need to get photos of its spore-bearing leaves to help ID it.

Actually, I am not positive that this one is a fern, but I think it may be in the genus Ophioglossum (adder's tongue ferns) or maybe a tongue fern.  
I will have to go back to take a closer, more definitive look.   hmmm... a good mystery to work on next time I'm in Belize.
Seeing the ferns along this part of the canal made me realize that I was upstream of the tidal portion and in an area that is fresh water.
Back out into the salt water, I saw this sting ray making its way along the shallows.  This is a medium sized individual.
Closer to home in Belize, this little whelk was grazing in the shallows.  I love the way the sunlight is refracted by the little ripples on the water; you can see how clear the water is.

While paddling back in the mangrove marsh, I heard this  frantic flapping of a flock of birds that I disturbed as they went crashing through the trees.  When I was finally able to see them, I was surprised that they were doves.  There is no solid ground below these mangroves, and I am more used to doves that like to hang out on the ground.

They wouldn't sit still for a second so my shots are not very good.  But they were good enough for me to identify them as Pale Vented Doves, which are known to prefer mangrove habitats.  I would like to get some better shots of them.
Looks like I have work my cut out for my next trip.  :-)

Is it spring yet?

Well, the emergence of the Great Southern Brood of periodic cicadas that I featured in my last post has made headlines here, here, and here.  But there were other things of interest happening outside too.  One of my favorite small trees, the Grancy Greybeard, (aka Fringe Tree, Old Man's Beard, Chionanthus virginicus) was in bloom in my Mother's back yard. 

 When we moved to Minnesota 18 years ago, we brought a seedling with us.  It has survived and even blooms here.  It stays small because it gets severely "pruned" by deer each winter; of course the shorter growing season also comes in to play. 

 Yes, those ~3 foot tall sticks are the Grancy Greybeard.  The photo of the flowers in Georgia was taken 3 weeks ago and the photos above and below of this one in MN were taken just minutes ago!  That is how delayed our spring is relative to that in Georgia - I would guess at least 6 weeks, maybe 8.  You can see the Lily of the Valley leaves around the base of the Grancy Greybeard and also the first new leaves of Christmas fern unfurling.

So far our Grancy Greybeard only has green buds showing with the promise of good things to come.

I have no idea what this plant is.

 It is a vine of some sort that was growing wild at the back of a neighbor's yard.  A very pretty flower, whatever it is.


There were also some weeds/wildflowers (depending on your point of view) in Mother's front lawn. 

 I'm glad I took these shots when I did because the next day they were mowed down.  :-(

This Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius ) was also in the neighbor's yard.  As an invading, non-native species, it is considered a noxious weed.  It was introduced from Europe in the 1800s.  Here in the yard, it behaves itself fairly well and adds some welcomed color in the spring.

Meanwhile back here in MN, there are more signs of spring that lend themselves to another posting.  Here is a taste of things to come ...

Ramps

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Ostrich plume ferns