Monday, October 21, 2019

Two Native grasses in Bear Mountain NY

Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
I hiked Bear Mountain in New York State in October 2019, and the most surprising discovery I made was the presence of quite a few colonies of Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium).

Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
The species was not present within the canopy covering of the surrounding trees, but was instead found in rocky and exposed portions of the trail (blue, then white marks), which started out from near the Bear Mountain Inn and ended in the Perkins Memorial Tower.

Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Although most of the colonies were small and had only a single or a few specimens, there were occasional areas where S. scoparium formed a larger field. One was located bear the top end of the trail, above a rocky outcrop with a very distinctive boulder sitting precariously on its surface.

Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass
Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass
At the very top of Bear Mountain, where the impressive Perkins Memorial Tower loomed above the crowds, Little Bluestem gave way to another tallgrass prairie species, which I tentatively identified as Panicum virgatum (switchgrass).
Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass
Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass
This species was slightly taller than Little Bluestem, with open airy panicles. I did not have my macro lens with me, but I did manage to take in situ pics of the panicles, which had spikelets containing a single floret, and unequal sized glumes.

Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass Spikelet
Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass Spikelet
Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass Spikelet

Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass Spikelet

Both S. scoparium and P. virgatum were major components of  the tallgrass prairies that used to dominate the American landscape, and it was interesting to see healthy populations of these species still present in numbers here in the East Coast.


Monday, October 7, 2019

Autumn creeps on Cheesequake State Park


In October 2019, I visited Cheesequake State Park in Matawan/Old Bridge, NJ, which is notable because it lies in the transition zone between two different ecosystems, and harbors organisms that are native to both south and north New Jersey.

Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass)
One of the more interesting things I noticed was that the carpets of invasive Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass) that covered some of the forest floor had turned golden in color, and made the scenery seem quite magical and surreal.

Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass)
But perhaps the highlight of the place for me was the Crabbing Bridge, a long boardwalk that passed over the marshlands in the park and was surrounded by tall grasses.

Crabbing Bridge on Sept, 2018
Birds flew and waded in the grasses that stretched into the distance.

Sporobolus pumilus  (saltmeadow cordgrass)
Sporobolus pumilus  (saltmeadow cordgrass)
Although they were too far for me to make an ID easily, at least some of them were Sporobolus pumilus  (saltmeadow cordgrass), which was previously named Spartina patens.

Sporobolus pumilus  (saltmeadow cordgrass)
Sporobolus pumilus  (saltmeadow cordgrass)
Also present in the park was the invasive Phragmites australis, which is one of the more ubiquitous grasses in the state, and which I will be discussing in a separate future post.

Phragmites australis
Phragmites australis

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

American Beach Grass (Ammophila breviligulata) in Seaside Heights, NJ

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata

I visited the beachtown of Seaside Heights, NJ in late September, and was instantly amazed at the endless fields of Ammophila breviligulata (American Beach Grass) that decorated the tall dunes between the streets and the beach proper.

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata

It turns out that the United States Army Corp of Engineers have been very busy this year, replenishing the sand dunes that protect towns from storms at sea and planting literally hundreds of thousands of the remarkable grass.

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata
Spikelike panicles waving int he wind
A. breviligulata is a foredune pioneer species that helps in the development of sand dunes by capturing sand, while its long roots help to stabilize the resulting dunes.

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata
Spike-like panicles wave int he wind
It rapidly colonizes bare new dunes by sending out rhizomes with very long internodes, and from its nodes new ramets spring up. It can also withstand very high rates of sand accretion of up 1 meter per year, another trait that makes it a prime candidate for beach sand dune maintenance.

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata
Close up of single inflorescence
The species is fairly easy to identify. The dorsal surface of its leaf blades are decorated with deep vertical lines, and the blades roll together towards their tips.

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata
Lines on leaf surface

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata
Rolling near tip of leaves
Old brown leaf sheaths wrap around the bases of the grass.

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata
Old leaf sheaths
The long narrow spike-like panicles of the species are also easily spotted, and the spikelets are fairly large, making it somewhat easy to take in situ macro photos.

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata

American Beach Grass - Ammophila breviligulata

I have to say again how amazing it was to see the fields of A. breviligulata, and it would be interesting to come back to see how the species prospers (or not) as the years pass.