Drooping Trillium

Drooping Trillium

Trillium flexipes

April 12th, 2023

St. Louis County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

Ozark Witch-Hazel

Hamamelis vernalis

This species of witch-hazel requires a winter freeze to bloom and is endemic to the Ozarks in Missouri, Arkansas, and parts of eastern Oklahoma.

Feb. 6th, 2023

Augusta, St. Charles County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

Hop Trefoil Clover

Trifolium campestre

This species of trifolium is not native to the United States, its native range is in Europe and Western Asia, but it has now been introduced in some areas of the US due to being grown for fodder and escaping. However, it's not yet listed as an invasive species here.

June 17th, 2023

Weldon Spring, St. Charles County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

Mica Cap Mushrooms

Coprinellus sect. Micacei

Growing at the base of an old cottonwood tree in the woods.

April 3rd, 2024

St. Louis County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

Small-Funnel Veil Amanita

Amanita multisquamosa

Amanita ser. Pantherinae

Also known as the White Panther Amanita, this species is found in forests east of the Great Plains in the United States. It has a mycorrhizal association with oaks and can sometimes be found near conifers as well. Likely psychoactive and presumed toxic. ☠️

Aug. 14th, 2023

St. Louis County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

Prairie Trillium

Trillium recurvatum

These unique, dark trillium plants caught our eye while we were exploring woods in Jersey County, Illinois. This species usually has splotchy green leaves. dailybotany suggested these trillium plants may have upped their anthocyanin production in response to exposure to higher levels of solar radiation. There were a few of these trilliums with dark leaves in the general area, and it may have been a sunnier than usual spot in the understory of the forest there, so this theory makes sense. I still wonder if it's possible this small population carries a genetic mutation... I have explored many woods and never seen trilliums this dark. I love listening to different theories and learning new info.

Trillium recurvatum is native to much of the Mississippi River basin in the central / eastern United States. Eastern Ohio has a few populations, which are listed as potentially threatened by their DNR. There are also a couple isolated populations in North Carolina, but it's debated whether or not they were actually planted long ago. Its closest lookalike with overlapping range is trillium sessile; however, the sepals on s. recurvatum plants curve downward as the flower opens, and the stem is usually much shorter than on t. sessile. This species can grow in habitats ranging from floodplains, to mesic forests and mesic savannas. Often, they're found growing in calcareous soils or over calcium-rich rocks such as limestone.

March 20th, 2024

Jersey County, Illinois, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline