July 2005

SUMMER FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE

August 6, Saturday, 10:00 am-Noon, Sibley Prairie, Brownstown Twp., Wayne Co.

The SEC has been invited to join the Detroit Audubon and the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy for another tour of the Sibley Prairie. This is the largest remnant of native lakeplain prairie left in Michigan. The vast majority of this rare ecosystem is privately owned and currently threatened with development. If you have not been able to visit this area before, do not miss this visit! The prairie plants should be in glorious bloom, and we’ll see plenty of birds and butterflies too. Mary LaFrance of the Sierra Club will be our leader. She has graciously invited the SEC for refreshments following the trip at her farm located near the prairie.

Meet on the south side of King Road just west of Telegraph. King is an east/west road that crosses Telegraph Road, west of I-75. From the north and east: Take I-75 south to Sibley Road (exit 34B) and turn right (west) onto Sibley Road. Go about 1 mile to Telegraph Road (US 24) and turn left (south). Go 1 mile to King Road, and turn right (west). From the west and northwest: Take I-275 south to the Sibley Road/New Boston exit (exit 13) and turn left (east) on Sibley Road. Go about 6 miles to Telegraph Road, turn right (south) and go 1 mile to King Road. Turn right on King Road.

August 20, Saturday, 10:00 am, Humbug Marsh, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge

The SEC will join the Huron Valley Chapter for a late summer visit to the Humbug Marsh area of the newly created Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. This is the first growing season that this area is open to the public and your opportunity to assist with the compiling of the plant list. Those of us who braved the snow in April or took the Foray field trip in May, will see a new view of one of the last remaining natural shorelines along the Detroit River. Dr. Bruce Jones of the Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy will be our leader.

Please follow the map on page 4 of this newsletter to reach Humbug Marsh, and enter at the gate just past the RR track

The Southeastern Chapter sponsored two students to this year’s Spring Foray; Thomas Benson and Bill Marra. Both of them are attending the Environmental Education program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Following are the reports they wrote about their experience at the Foray:

First I would like to thank the Southeastern Chapter of the Michigan Botanical Club for the opportunity to explore and learn about the richness of the flora found in Southeast Michigan. The opportunity to explore with and absorb the knowledge of some of the top scientists in their field is truly a once in a life time opportunity. On my first day of the event I enjoyed the discussion on Oakland County and its many natural wonders. After the first lecture I introduced myself and every one was so open and friendly that it made me instantly feel welcomed into the events’ festivities. The next day my first adventure took me to Belle Isle, a place that I had heard about but had never visited. The first exploration of this beautiful island took us deep into the woods of this urban park, where I got my first taste of botany in the field. As an amateur botanist at best, I kept using common names for plants, and as I would learn throughout my adventures, scientific names are a must. We later ended our journey of Belle Isle with lunch at their stunning conservatory full of exotic plants from around the world from vanilla bean plants to giant fan palms.

Although our trip to Belle Isle had ended, our quest had just begun. The day’s next stop was Rouge Park with its vast acreage of urban forest and natural beauty. At this leg of the trip we began a hunt for the rare and fascinating Prenanthes crepidinea which had been listed as extinct in the area. Our search didn’t take us very far and along the way we discovered many new and distinct plants that were new to my knowledge of the plant world. These included Carex jamesii, Menispermum canadense, and Acer nigrum, which I have learned, depending on the botanist you talk to, is either a subspecies of Acer saccharum or a separate species. That night’s program “Liverworts and Mosses” by Dr. Woody Ehrle was one of the highlights of my trip; his interesting stories and deep passion for these small wonders translated into a fascinating journey into bryology.

My next trip took me to Lower Huron Metropark and Humbug Marsh which were both amazing places each in their own way. Lower Huron Metropark with its pristine forest that looked as if it had never been touched by man and with no noticeable invasive species (minus Elaeagnus umbellata) was a feast for the eyes. We trekked up hills, mingling with trees long past the century mark, and marveled at the powers of the river. On this expedition we were privileged with the knowledge of Tony Reznicek on plants ranging from Fraxinus nigra and Asimina triloba to Conopholis americana and Arisaema dracontium. The Humbug Marsh in contrast gave us a glimpse into what is believed to be reclaimed farm land due to the structural and physical characteristics of the old trees. But this magnificent place gave me my first look at some things that I had never seen before, like Sisyrinchium angustifolium, Floerkea proserpinacoides and one Sialia sialis. My last trip was a canoe trip on Proud lake which is an adventure I will never forget due to the amazing landscape and richness of plant diversity. As we meandered down the river leading to the lake we spotted many plants including Symplocarpus foetidus and Osmunda cinnamomea. Lastly we parked our canoes and hiked to the resident bog were I saw my first Toxicodendron vernix. As a naturalist, people always ask me about it when I talk about the more often seen Rhus typhina and Rhus glabra, and I tell them that I have never seen it because it’s common in bogs. But I have now. Again I would like to thank the Southeastern Chapter of the Michigan Botanical Club for the opportunity to explore one of Michigan’s prime regions for natural beauty.

I would like to thank the Michigan Botanical Club Southeastern Chapter for the opportunity to participate as a scholarship student at the Spring Foray. I appreciate how friendly and helpful all the members were both during field trips and back at the hotel. I was surprised and appreciative of how members went out of their way to make me feel welcome and for making an extra effort to chat with me and share their knowledge with me. I am grateful for how each member was so willing to share their extensive knowledge of botany and the natural environment with me during each of the field trips. It felt as if I had ten professors out on the field trips with me, each willing to teach me about the different and unique plants and wildlife we encountered during our trips. It was a great experience to be surrounded by others who share a similar interest and excitement as I do about plants and wildlife.

The trips I went on included the Seven Ponds Nature Center and Jonathon Woods on Saturday, and the Shiawassee River Corridor, Bridge Valley, Basin Preserve and Big Valley Nature Preserve on Sunday. I enjoyed each trip because each site was unique in terms of types of habitats and the wide variety of plants and wildlife available to see. The highlights for Saturday included Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), and Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema atrorubens). Memorable sightings from the Shiawassee River Corridor include, several small white lady slippers (Cypripedium candidum), Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia purpurea), and Sand Hill Cranes (Grus canadensis). Thank you to each of the group leaders and facilitators of each trip for making the trips enjoyable and allowing for an exceptional learning experience. I would also like to thank each person who drove me to each field trip.

Overall, the field trips were a great learning experience for me. I plan to become a Biology teacher in the near future and the knowledge I gained will make for great personal experiences for me to relate to my students. I have expanded my knowledge of plants and can share that information with my students when and if my class ever encounters some of the wildlife discovered during the spring botany foray. This experience has also made clear to me the importance of hands on learning for students by going on field trips to nature centers and by taking nature walks in the areas around their schools and communities. After learning about plant structures in the classroom I plan on taking my students to the outdoor classroom for hands on experiences similar to the ones I have experienced during the foray.

The 2005 Spring Foray Planning Committee (Richard Fowler, Nina Misuraca Ignaczak, Emily Nietering, Kathleen Thomson and Alice Ward) would like to thank the following members of the Southeastern Chapter for their help during the Foray:

Registration Table: Jocelyn Baker, Margaret Converse, Dolores Eastcott, Marilyn and Richard Fowler, Jane Hoyle, Patty Mogk, and Alice Ward

Field Trip Facilitators: Tom Bliznick, Suzan Campbell, Ruth Hart, Nina Misuraca Ignaczak, Emily Nietering, and Alice Ward

We are deeply saddened to report the death of one of our Foray field trip leaders, Dr. Barbara Madsen. She died of a seizure on June 3 at her home in Ann Arbor. She was a member of the Huron Valley Chapter, a former editor of The Michigan Botanist, a wetland ecologist, and was Collections Manager at the Cranbrook Institute of Science at the time of her death. Memorials may be made to:

April: Carol Beattie, Sally Hiott, Melinda Milos-Dale May: Lillian Dean, Deborah Hochberg June: Don and Joyce Drife, Martha Gruelle July: Virginia Safronoff