On one of the few days last week that thrashing afternoon thunderstorms were NOT in the forecast, my fellow nature-nut pal Sue Pierce alerted me: "Hey, we should go see if that Winged Monkey Flower survived all the torrents that must have raced through their ravine." It was Sue herself who first alerted us some years ago to this state-ranked Rare plant (Mimulus alatus), recognizing it as an unusual plant even when shriveled and brown in the fall some years ago. And so far, the stream-watered ravine at the Saratoga Battlefield National Historical Park where Sue first espied it remains the only place we have ever seen it. And early August is when it usually blooms. So off to the Saratoga Battlefield we went to check on it.
Above, Sue gazes across some of the 3,000 acres of open meadows and forested hills, serene and peaceful now, where, back in the fall of 1777, American revolutionary soldiers achieved a huge victory over British forces. This victory proved that America could win this war to achieve independence from England and convinced France to join forces with the Americans, a turning point that led to America's ultimate victory.
This historic site now attracts thousands of visitors to its many exhibits relating to this battle, but it's also a beautiful park that attracts botanizers like Sue and me and other nature-lovers to explore its natural wonders. The meadows today were a sea of yellow Goldenrod blooms, punctuated by the purple blooms of Wild Bergamot and Joe Pye Weed and alive with the fluttering of hundreds of flying insects.
The recent torrential rainstorms had battered many of the meadow's wildflowers, but this Silver-spotted Skipper had managed to find some Wild Bergamot florets intact enough to offer it some nectar.
We were soon happy to seek the shade of the forested ravine where Sue first discovered our sought-after population of Winged Monkey Flowers. Torrential rains earlier this week had doubtless filled this creek to roaring, but the flow had returned to a gentle trickle by now.
Ah, but those rushing torrents had not been so gentle on the masses of Winged Monkey Flowers that now lay flattened along the creekbed.
Even while flattened, some of the Winged Monkey Flowers still bore undamaged blooms.
I could lift one flower stalk up to display the distinctive traits of this species, namely, the very short flower stalks and the long leaf stems that display the wings that suggested this native wildflower's name.
As my photo of the Common Monkey Flower (Mimulus ringens) reveals, the leaf and flower attachments are just the opposite on this much more common species, which has long flower stalks and sessile leaves. I find this species along the Hudson River and other waterways as well, but not here at the Saratoga Battlefield.
As it happened, those Winged Monkey Flowers were not the only rare plant we found on our visit to the Saratoga Battlefield today. Or more correctly, as SUE found today, while she was driving the road that winds through the park. Sue noticed this very tall flowering plant with clusters of bright purple flowers growing along the road, and she believed it could be one of our two native species of Ironweed (Vernonia sp.) As soon as we met in the park's parking lot, Sue drove me to the site where she spied this plant, and I climbed down the bank to take a closer look at it.
As soon as I noticed the bracts on the involucres (the cup-like structures that hold the florets), I realized that Sue had found the species called Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea). Tall Ironweed is rated as an Endangered species in New York State. Count on eagle-eyed Sue to spot another rare flower!
How did I recognize this plant as Tall Ironweed at a glance? It was because I had frequently seen the more common species, New York Ironweed (V. novaeboracensis), a native species that is often planted in domestic gardens. New York Ironweed grows in the raingarden outside the Nature Center at Moreau Lake State Park, which is where I took this next photo, which shows the distinctive long threads that extend from each of the involucral bracts. The bracts on Tall Ironweed are pointed, but they do not end with long threads like this. The two species also differ in the number of florets each involucre contains (13-30 for V. gigantea; 30-50 for V. novaeboracensis), but the presence of thready projections (or lack thereof) is usually significant enough to determine the species. Sue sent a photo off to iNaturalist, which promptly supported my assessment.
So Sue's unerring sense for the unusual served her once again! Chalk up another great floral find for the Saratoga National Historical Park, thanks to Sue.
And guess what? Sue later emailed me a photo she had taken of ANOTHER Ironweed plant (in fact, TWO plants), which she spied along the park road as she was driving toward home. We have not examined it closely enough to determine which species it is, but why would it NOT be the rare one?
As for MY fun find this day, mine was more faunal than floral. And I am not sure of either the floral species or the faunal. Growing along the stone wall that surrounds the Saratoga Battlefield parking lot, were several patches of Pussytoes (Antennaria species), a smallish species of Pussytoes with overlapping frosted leaves. And dotting these plants were galls that resembled small white rosebuds. So pretty! With Google's help, I identified an insect whose larvae form rosebud-shaped galls on plants of the Antennaria genus: the Everlasting Bud Midge (Asphondylia antennariae). Seems likely that this might be the one. Can anyone confirm the species of Pussytoes? My Newcomb's Wildflower Guide offers an entry called Smaller Pussytoes (A. howellii ssp. neodioica), described as having overlapping leaves that are dull green and woolly that end in a tiny abrupt point. Informed opinions would be gratefully welcomed in the comments.
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