Recording Floral Diversity at Dixie Plantation

Ashley Schnitker

 

The past few weeks have been absolutely beautiful and with all the rain and sunshine, many plants have flowered and leafed out. I have gotten to see the formation of some vernal pools due to all the spring showers.

A vernal swamp

A large number of hardwood species exist on the property and have begun to leaf out, blocking out sunlight from the understory.  Such species as sweet gum, red maple, flowering dogwood and several species of oak and pine are found throughout the property and are easier to identify now that they have leafed out.   The understory of these trees contains many species of small forbs that are also flowering.  I have been able to collect and press several of these species for the herbarium:

Southern twayblade (Listera australis)

Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

 

Resurrection ferns on the Alee of Oaks

 

I will be spending the next few weeks collecting data and finishing setting up the last of my plots before beginning my data compilation and analysis.