This was weird. The option to upload the photo never appeared. Oh, Houzz this photo buisiness is gettin reallll old!

The woods down south?

The woods 'round here...yes.

I didn't think it's range went that far south. I've never seen one before period.

Beautiful leaves.

They're actually pretty common here.

Jay, you gotta remember that the Ozark Plateau (where I am) is the highest point between the Appalachians and the Rockies, thus we have a different climate and plant ecology than you might expect. There's lots of hold overs from the last ice age, etc.

Dbarron, what is your elevation where you live?

I'm (personally) in what used to be lowland swamps, at 1322 ft above sealevel. The surrounding hills/mountains are higher, with elevations like 2753 (Mount Magazine). I realize that doesn't seem so high, but it does make a difference in the plant communities. It also allows us to have waterfalls...which I loved to photograph.

A friend of mine (on the Geo survey team in the state), told me a story of finding a lost world down in a crevasse in the Ozark Highlands. It has a narrow opening at top (less than 16 inches I think), but a walkable streambed some 70 feet below at bottom, which is lined with a fern species known from glacial melts in the far North. It was left here when the last round of glaciers retreated...and it's so cool and moist down there, that they have remained, thousands of miles from their relatives.

That is really cool that you have so many ice age holdovers down there. That crevasse sounds awesome. I've driven though every state in the country except Vermont,Deleware,Rhode Island,Alaska, and Hawaii. I really love the Ozark area, wish I'd spent more time there. In Maine I saw Steven King in his front yard as I was driving past his house.

Sounds like your Geo survey guy was one lanky guy.

You can get into it from the bottom if you're willing to use ropes to get down there. He's not 16 inches wide ;)

Oh Dbarron. , I knew from previous post that you lived in swamp land and I pictured you in that endless flat area in eastern Arkansas . I have driven through there and the swamp never ends. I didn't think of the lowlands in the mountains. So much more preferable.

I agree, who would want to live in mosquito-infested ricelands. There's a mono-culture for you.

Not me.

Hi debarron. I joined the wild ones. Haven't had any assignments yet. I think one of the local members owns a native nursery in dwight. Another member in Wheaton, in a different chapter also owns a native nursery.

We only have one native nursery in Native Plant Society, but sometimes I get things from the state geo group, which has some of our members in it (for free) (lol).

State geo group? Who are they, and what do they do?

Part of them, does the state botanical survey and monitors plant populations of endangered species, etc.

That would be cool if I could meet some of those people. I talked with one who moniters animal species. We were at the forest preserve, and he was counting the bats that live in the pavillion. He was using a laser, very cool.

Used to be a lot of it around here in SE PA, but the infestious deer have apparently devoured all of it as well as the other 7 or 8 orchid species I used to find. I now know of only 1 small clump ot Showy orchis which survives only because I have built a cage over it for protection.

Wow, I'm thinking that the deer are eating the orchids because some other food plant that they used to browse is now missing. The orchids survived for millions of years up till now. There must have been other plants in the past that drew their attention away from the orchids?

No, Just many fewer deer in the past. We now have no wolves or other natural predators and with increased development, there ar so many restrictions on hunting that one cannot fire a gun anywhere near where I live now.

40 years ago I saw a single deer or two maybe once a month. I now see from 6 to 12 every day crossing my lawn.

geoforce, I agree that's probably the main reason. They did a culling in my area 2 years ago. There are cyotes in the arenphg75g h69ip1

I'm not really thinking about growing the plantain orchid anytime soon. Henceforth shifting topics rules! Please sacrifice the time to watch this video. It's very eye opening. I dedicate it to nature photographers everywhere, especially one in particular.

https://youtu.be/P7TF8PvAdnE

Mires and bogs are being destroyed so we can make nice 511 mixes. Isn't it time everyone switched to sustainable, neutral ph coco peat??????? A lot of unique plant and animal species depend on those ecosystems! What shall I liken putting comments on the pureanals forum to. Putting dimples in warm soft dough. Amateur bakers you all! repent! :) Cloning, how creative!

I've begun my winter sowing. I50 natives mostly perennial 30 Asclepias and Asclepiad species and aproximately 20 or so annuals to be sown at a later date. I will write them all down at some point but not today. I'm also looking for seeds for Gaillardia aestivalis and G. pulchra. There hasn't been any activity since I joined the Wild Ones. I thought they were a more active bunch restoring habitats all around the place, but that's not the case. They are more focused on educating new members about native plants. HELLO!!! What would there be for me to do other than teach, and probably some of the long time members lol. I like the idea of volunteering at the nearby Midwine Tallgrass Prairie much better. I will be able to get to know the place and it's plants intimately, learn the relationships of plants in the field, grow natives from seed, and endangered natives. That's a passion and that disputed pipedream about Mead's milkweed is still looming over me. And maybe I can introduce some of my cool natives that they don't have out there.......ECSD!!!! YEAH

It seems someones aversion to Verbesinas everywhere just cost them an i.d. Actually I get a discount at the yearly native plant sale for being a wild one. I'll have to make up the money I spent on membership. It seems Asclepias rubra is another hard to find species. Everwilde farms is the only place listed. They said they were sold out, but I'd read they sold seeds too. I emailed them and they don't have plans to sell plants or seeds in the future.

https://youtu.be/rLm7O2hIYIo