I took a walk around my property today and came across two more tiny evergreens. Here is the first:
Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)
This is Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), a close relative of wintergreen (which I posted last week). It makes some gorgeous flowers in mid-summer, and this is what they turn into by winter:
Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)
Nice.
As I headed back to the house, I walked by the tiny flower bed we have on the north side of the house. A couple of years ago a friend of mine brought in a plant that he had found in the woods. He wanted to know what it was, and I didn’t know off the top of my head. I did some research and determined that it was Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens).
Goodyera pubescens
He gave me the plant (in the orchid family), and I popped it in a shady spot at the north end of the house. It did OK all through the remainder of the summer and fall, but I thought winter did it in. It did not come up in the spring. I thought it was a goner. And now I see several of them close to where I planted it. I can only assume that these are its offspring. It did go to seed after all.
Here’s one more from yesterday:
Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
This is a close-up I took of an individual from the colony of Christmas ferns (Polystichum acrostichoides) I saw on our walk to Devil’s Den yesterday. There was some question about the identity, and I think this should settle it. I was uncertain as to its id, and suspected it was Christmas fern. But I’m a bit more sure now. It’s laying on the ground, and the blade tapers near the base.
Also… it’s an evergreen.
January 1, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Now THAT looks like a Christmas fern. Nice close up of the pipsissewa too!
January 1, 2012 at 8:47 pm
That close-up was for you. This was a hand-held shot with my SX110-IS. I meant to add another I took today, but it slipped my mind. Maybe tomorrow.
January 2, 2012 at 8:16 am
Thanks for the macro example-that’s tough hand held. I thought the landscape shots in your previous post were good too.
January 2, 2012 at 8:21 am
You’re welcome. I stripped the tripod mount on my camera a while back, so I can’t do a more steady shot until I fix it. It’s about half-fixed now – I filled the hole with epoxy putty. Now I need to drill and tap it, but like the insulation project… this one has been waiting a while.
January 2, 2012 at 2:10 am
Wow, even in winter! The Pipsissewa is familiar to me: we have that here.
January 2, 2012 at 8:17 am
These grow only in my front woods, so I missed them last week when I went around the back woods photographing evergreens. I remembered them yesterday and decided to check them out. Yup – there they were!
January 2, 2012 at 9:39 am
It’s great to see the promise of what’s ahead even as you’re heading into the bleakest part of winter. Unfortunately pipsissewa doesn’t grow in Texas, so I’ll look forward to seeing your pictures of it when it flowers.
January 2, 2012 at 9:48 am
I have not always managed to catch it in bloom. It doesn’t stay in flower for very long, and unless I’m paying close attention, I miss it. I’ll do my best though.
January 10, 2012 at 9:48 pm
[...] often shady, often cold. But he finds beauty everywhere in his yard and in the surrounding woods. From Jomegat, As I headed back to the house, I walked by the tiny flower bed we have on the north side of the [...]