Volume 5, Number 2 e Turk's Ca> The Newsletter of the Delaware Native Plant Society Summer 2002 In This Issue A Call For Articles Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 A Call for Articles New Members Letter From the President Letter From the Editor Plant-animal Highlight Feature Article Feature Article continued Natural Community Highlight Upcoming Events Letter From the President continued Event Highlights Native Plant Highlight Upcoming Events continued Event Highlights continued Page 7 " Upcoming Events How Can I Get Involved? along Blackbird and Cedar Creeks in the fall of 2002/2003. In addition, help is needed with our na- tive plant nursery at the St. Jones Reserve outside Dover. We encourage everyone to participate in these, and other DNPS endeavors. For more information on how to get in- volved, E-mail us at dnps@delawarenativeplants.org. Or visit the new DNPS website at www.delawarenativeplants.org. Our new website has all of the past issues of The Turk’s Cap along with a large section on native plants, as well as links to other environmental and If you would like to write an article for The Turk’s Cap, we would love to print it. With like minded individuals as an audience. The Turk’s Cap is a great venue for plant or habitat oriented writings. We’ll take just about anything from gardening tips to book reviews to poetry. Of course, it has to be about native plants, or issues related to native plants; just a minor constraint. Your imagination is the real key. Contact Eric Zuelke for more information at (ezuelke@juno.com), or Keith Clancy at 302.674.5187. A Cool , Refreshing Rainfall Welcome To Our Newest Members April through June Kathryn B. Bostock Debbie & Clay Heaton Richard J. Hutton Vikram Khrishnamurthy Patricia & Charles Robertson Raymond & Marguerite Zuelke The Delaware Native Plant Society is open to everyone ranging from the novice gardener to the professional botanist. One of the primary goals of the society is to involve as many individuals as pos- sible. The DNPS is working on some significant projects at this time. We have begun a reforestation project at Prime Hook State Wildlife Area and will be undertaking a direct seeding reforestation project Letter From The President The dog days of August are starting earli- er than usual this summer as the July sun, and a paucity of rainfall, bakes the landscape dry and stresses many a native plant. The media reports that more than 60 percent of the country is in the midst of a drought; the fires out west and north in Quebec sure seem to bear that out. The smoke- filled air, that came down out of the north, and |L settled over this area on the Sunday after the 4 of July was quite something. I made a brief visit to the New Jersey Pine Barrens that weekend and when I awoke that Sun- day morning I was greeted to a very hazy sky. And as the day progressed, the sky became ever more hazy and it seemed the air was permeated with smoke. I would later learn from a radio announcer Continued on page 5 The DNPS Vision T he purpose of the Delaware Native Plant Society (DNPS) is to participate in and encourage the preservation, conservation, restoration, and propagation of Delaware’s native plants and plant communities. The Society provides information to government officials, business people, educators, and the general public on the protection, management, and restoration of native plant ecosystems. The DNPS encourages the use of native plants in the landscape by homeowners, businesses, and local and state governments through an on-going distribution of information and knowledge by various means that includes periodic publications, symposia, conferences, workshops, field trips, and a growing statewide membership organized by the DNPS. The Turk's Qp, Volume 5, Number 2 Letter From The Editor Wow, IS IT dry! I had no idea how dry it was until I drove out to the Aquatic Resources Education Center on July 16th for our DNPS meeting and saw how low Taylor’s Gut was. I’m a big frog and salamander fan, and bet they are having a rough time. Speaking of amphibians, if you have a woodlot on your property, your amphibians may have taken shelter in the kind of downed log that our Feature Article talks about. And if you take a dip in a local millpond during all this heat you may get some bladderwort stuck in your swim suit, but don’t worry, you can learn more about it from our native plant highlight. And make sure you read the natural community highlight to see what kind of plants you may encounter during a stroll through a Piedmont floodplain forest. But whatever you do, have some lemonade and run through the sprinkler first. 0000 Eric Zuelke, Editor o o o o o o Plant-animal Highlight Plant toxins and chemical defenses Plants have various methods of combating the ever present problem of insect and mammal herbivory. Some of these methods are mechanical, but a vast majority of plants use chemicals as their weapon of choice. All poisonous plants can contain one or more different types of toxins. The main categories of toxins include: alka- loids, glycosides, proteins, amino acids and derivatives, carbo- hydrates, lipids, glycoproteins, glycolipids, metal-binding substances, resins, phenolics, quinones, terpenoids, and sesquiterpene lactones. These toxins can cause millions of different reactions in whatever consumes them. Some plants manufacture toxins that poison the attacking herbivore, whereas others produce complex compounds that interfere with the attacker's growth cycle or its ability to digest the plant. In many cases, the poisonous substances are merely by-products or wastes from the metabolic functions of the plant. Often, toxic compounds- or at least substances that are unpleasant to taste or smell- have evolved in plants to discourage or repel vegetarian insects or grazing animals. Plant toxins don't bother the plant that produces them, and often, they don't bother many other living things. Some examples include: ° Tropical rain forest plants that contain alkaloids and other chemicals that make them distasteful or poisonous to foraging insects. ° In humans, two examples of carcinogenic (cancer causing) plants are bracken ferns ( Dennstaedtia , and Pteridium ) and tan- sy ragwort. A plant is said to be co-carcinogenic when it causes cancer only in conjunction with some other substance. Roque- fort and camembert cheese moulds; daphne; and poinsettias can cause cancer only if eaten while taking certain prescription drugs. ° Bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus) and white clover ( Trifolium ), are capable of producing cyanogenic glycosides, compounds made of sugars bound to cyanide complexes, and storing them in then- leaves. If two particular enzymes are present when the plant's leaves are damaged, the cyanogenic glycosides are broken Psge2 down to release the cyanide complex, from which free cyanide is eventually liberated. °The trichomes, or hairs, of many desert plants are storehouses of toxic natural products. The trichomes of the desert plant, Phacelia, for example, contain numerous poisons, insecticides and allergenic substances. The trichomes of another desert plant, the thistle Parthenium hysterophorus, contain certain allergenic chemicals that deter herbivores from feeding. ° Some allelochemicals protect plants that produce them not by poisoning or repelling herbivores but by interfering with the predator's normal cycles of growth and development. Bugle- weed, Ajugci remora, when fed to a number of insects, resulted in a striking developmental aberration: in metamorphosing from larvae to pupae, each insect grew not one but several head capsules. ° A juvenile-hormone antagonist kills insect larvae by causing them to molt prematurely into the adult stage. Two such sub- stances have been isolated from Ageratum houstonianum , a small plant that grows in temperate regions. The two com- pounds are named prococene I and prococene II because of their ability to elicit precocious metamorphosis by preventing the secretion of juvenile hormone. Prococene II has a number of other effects as well: it terminates the production of sex attract- ants by the American cockroach, causes several types of insects to lay infertile eggs and forces the Colorado potato beetle to enter a hibernational state called diapause. °When a Sitka willow is attacked by certain caterpillars, the nutritional quality of the leaves of neighboring willows-even those that have not been attacked-deteriorates. All of these amazing plant chemical defenses have great potential for humans, as many of them could be the pre- cursors to very novel, environmentally responsible pest control methods. 0000 Eric Zuelke, Editor o o o o o o Feature Article Snags and logs Vigorous, living trees provide wildlife with food and shelter, but what about dead or dying trees-or even logs? Just as they did when they were healthy and living, dead and dying trees are critical elements of habitat for many animals. Trees are like any living thing-they have an infancy, youth, maturity, old age, and death. And, as a tree ages and eventually dies, changes in its bark, wood, and other parts create habitat for animals suit- ed to each stage in the life and death of the tree. Dead, standing trees are called snags, and when snags fall to the ground they are then called logs. Biologists are increasingly calling standing dead or dying trees “wildlife trees” in recognition of their enor- mous value to birds and other creatures How Do Snags Help Wildlife? Animals find shelter in snags. Cavities that have formed in the heart of a tree from disease or from the loss of limbs provides a place to nest for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, bluebirds, some owls, wrens, tree swallows, and many other birds as well as raccoons and squirrels. Snakes use tree cavities to shed their skin. Inside a tree, the snake is well hidden during this very vulnerable time. Existing cavities can form at any time during the maturity of a tree but woodpeckers The Turk's Cap, Volume 5, Number 2 can actively excavate a nesting cavity much easier in the soft wood of a dead tree. When they move out of their hole other animals can enlarge the entrance hole and move in. Bats may also roost in tree cavities. Some bat species prefer to roost un- der the loose bark of a dead tree. The brown creeper, a small forest bird, will nest under loose bark. Ospreys, some hawks, and great homed owls will nest or use nests built on the tops of very tail snags. Cavities and loose bark can also serve a safe place to hibernate or metamorphose in the case of moths or butterflies. Snags are very attractive to insects that help to decom- pose the various parts of trees. Birds, reptiles, and mammals eagerly seek these insects. Animals also eat the fungus that grows on dying trees. Besides using snags to find food, some animals use cavities and loose bark to store food. Snags, with then stripped and bare branches, also serve as great lookout perches for hawks, eagles, vultures, and other carnivorous birds that are large enough to find it awkward to perch on leafy branches. How Do Logs Help Wildlife? When a snag falls down and becomes a log, a com- pletely new ecosystem is created. Tiny soil organisms, which add to soil nutrients through their metabolism, begin to decom- pose the log, only to be preyed upon by other organisms and insects, which also eat the bacteria and fungi that add to the decomposition process. These insects in turn provide food for all kinds of animals. Pileated woodpeckers, for example, can sometimes be found hammering a log apart with a powerful beak that has evolved for this purpose. Within the log, the woodpecker could find ants, beetles, and termites. What the pileated leaves behind in the gap it has made in the log, other birds can now easily reach the inner sanctum of the tree. Holes in logs can become traps for rain water which can become a place to drink or bathe. The rotting wood itself is wet because of chemical changes. This wetness in turn attracts salamanders and tree frogs. Logs can even become nurseries for the seeds of other trees, providing all the moisture and nutrients to nurture a seed into a healthy, new tree. Ferns and other forest plants also grow on rotting logs. Logs that have fallen in rivers and ponds provide resting areas for birds and turtles and safe havens for fish. Snags and Logs in Your Backyard If you are lucky enough to have a small woodlot, locate the snags or dying trees that are there, as well as the logs and other fallen woody debris. Diseased or dying trees or trees with hollow insides may have bracket fungi clinging to the bark. Noticeable populations of beetles can also indicate a dying tree. Trees that are dying begin to lose their leaves, then the small branches that support the leaves, then the larger branches and so on until there is only a single trunk left. This will then eventually fall to the ground. Trees may fall before this point because of lightning, storm breakage, fire, disease, insects, or a variety of other factors and begin the cycle of a log earlier in the decaying process. In fact, you can never have too many snags or logs to suit your wildlife neighbors. However, you will need to decide which to keep and which to remove based on their height and their distance from your home. If a snag is likely to fall and hit your home, your neighbors' homes, or any other personal prop- erty of value, remove it. But save all snags that are not poten- tially dangerous. Try to also save as much fallen woody debris, including logs, as possible. This serves as important habitat for P age 3 Natural Quotes ® ‘There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its fsjl roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.’ Lord Byron ground-dwelling birds, mammals, and reptiles. "Cleaning" up the forest floor actually removes a whole layer of habitat, which in turn causes local extinction of all the animals that depend on it. Cleaning up the forest floor should be limited to small dry branches if it is done at all. Try to always keep the larger logs and branches where they have fallen. If you do not have a forested property, it is possible to bring small logs in as part of your landscape. Logs placed in a backyard are especially useful if they are shaded most of the time and are positioned perpendicular to the line of a slope so that the soil moving down the slope is trapped against the log. The soil that accumulates next to the log will begin to foster soil organisms that will break down the log, and help make it more useful to larger animals. Snags and logs can be improved for wildlife by en- couraging vines to grow on them. Virginia creeper, greenbrier, and trumpet vine can be used as food and shelter for the ani- mals using your snags and logs. If you have a pond, a log partially submerged will help make the water more accessible to small animals and can serve as a resting area for turtles, frogs, and birds. It is possible to create a fallen tree or log by cutting a living tree about 3/4 through the trunk and pushing it over. Called a hinge tree, this can provide food and shelter for ground -dwelling animals. It is also possible to create a snag by “girdling"* the tree. Girdling involves cutting a band between one and six inches wide through the bark and completely around the tree. This prevents water and nutrients from moving up the bark from the ground to the leaves and eventually kills the tree. A standing dead tree can remain in place for many years. Smaller trees come down sooner than large ones, but even they can last for several decades. This should be borne in mind by anyone considering the safety aspects of snags. Beware of termites that can be brought into your house when you bring decaying logs into your yard. Keep decaying logs far away from your house and exclude them altogether from small yards. Check with your community association or local government about the legalities of having decaying logs in your backyard. Not everyone views dead trees the same way and if your neighbors complain about your snag, tell them what you are doing and why; you might change their way of looking at standing dead trees. It is only by changing how we view the land around us that we can begin to help restore and nourish both it and its wildlife. oooo g r j c Zuelke, Editor The Turk's Qp, Volume 5, Number 2 Psge 4 Natural Community Highlight Piedmont floodplain forests Along the larger streams of the Delaware Piedmont, particularly White Clay Creek and Brandywine Creek, is a rich and diverse community that blurs the line between wetland and upland. These areas — floodplains — are flat terraces that are found adjacent to the river and just above the typical water level of the stream. However, during periods of high rainfall or snowmelt, these areas become inundated by the rising waters of the river. This periodic flooding has two important functions in the devel- opment of the floodplain community: it creates very rich, loamy soils through the deposition of alluvial sediments, and it functions as a frequent disturbance of natural community processes. While these soils provide habitat for some of our most diverse plant communities, this combination of nutrient- rich soils and frequent disturbance also creates ideal conditions for the establishment of invasive exotic species. Unfortunately, much of Delaware’s floodplain habitats have become overrun with these invasive aliens. Nowhere in the state are the threats posed by invasive exotics more apparent than our floodplain forests. Description The canopy of Piedmont floodplain forests is typically dominat- ed by Platanus occidentals (sycamore) and Fraxinus pennsyl- vanica (green ash), with Acer negundo (box elder) predominat- ing in the subcanopy. Other trees frequently encountered in- clude Juglans nigra (black walnut), Betula nigra (river birch), Acer saccliarinum (silver maple), Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree), A cer rub nun (red maple), and Comus florida (flowering dogwood). Linde ra benzoin (spicebush) is typically abundant in the shrub layer. The herb layer can be quite diverse, with com- mon species including Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple), Hy- drophyllnm virginianum (Virginia water leaf), Arisaema triphyl- lum (jack-in-the-pulpit), Polemonium reptans (Greek valerian), Symplo carpus foetidus (skunk cabbage), Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle), Impatiens capensis (orange jewel weed), and Viola spp. (violets). One of our most spectacular wildflowers, Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells), is essentially restrict- ed to these Piedmont floodplains. However, the herb layer of this community is prone to invasion by exotic species, which may reduce the diversity of native species. Common invasive exotics include Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose), Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stiltgrass), Ranunculus ficaria (lesser cel- andine), Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), Celastrus orbiculatus (Oriental bittersweet), and Alliaria pet io lata (garlic mustard). Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy) is a common native vine that frequently climbs into the canopy. Distribution As previously noted, this community can be found in areas along White Clay Creek, but it is most well-developed along the Brandywine, which has the highest quality examples in the state. Although there are floodplain forests along streams on the Coastal Plain, they often have different dominant species, and are generally not as species rich. ^ 0000 Peter Bowman, DE Natural Heritage Program Ecologist Don f T Miss These Upcoming Events August field trips Exploring an Atlantic White Cedar swamp, 10 August 2002, from 10 AM to 3 PM (or until). We will explore Atlantic white cedar swamps, in Sussex County, Delaware. Cedar swamps are home to a myriad of plant and animal species, in- cluding many rare plants such as curly grass fern, pitcher plants, roundleaved sundews, several species of bladderworts, grass pink orchid, rose pogonia, several beakrushes, just to name a few. Participants should bring hip boots or a change of foot gear, insect repellent, hand lens. Field trip leader: Keith Clancy. Meet in the parking lot at the McDonalds restaurant, north end of Milford, Rte 113 at 10 am. We will then caravan to several nearby cedar wetlands. To sign-up for this trip, or for more information please contact the DNPS at dnps@delawarenativeplants.org or call 302.674.5187. Back by popular demand, Canoe/Kayak trip, 24 August 2002, from 10 AM - until? Since last year's trip was so popu- lar, another kayak/canoe trip is planned along the diverse Browns Branch (a tributary of the Murderkill River). We will observe freshwater and brackish marsh habitats, as well as floodplain swamps, and a remnant bald cypress community. Bring sun/rain gear, sun block, life jacket(s), your own canoe or kayak, plenty of water. We will meet at the Browns Branch at Fork Landing Bridge (off Fork Landing Road west of Rte 1 and south of Frederica). To sign-up for this trip, or for more information please contact the DNPS at dnps@delawarenativeplants.org or call 302.674.5187. Also check out our website (www.delawarenativeplants.org) for more details Reforestation projects Want an opportunity to make a difference to our envi- ronment? The Delaware Native Plant Society (DNPS) is look- ing for volunteers to help with its reforestation projects. The DNPS has projects that will take place at three sites throughout Delaware from September to November. 2002. In the fall of 2000, six DNPS members spent about half a day using this method to collect and plant about 2000 seeds on an acre of former agricultural land at Prime Hook State Wildlife Area. In the spring of 2001 we observed about 700 seedlings that had germinated from these seeds, a remarka- ble percentage. Today these seedlings are thriving and hold great promise for restoring a forest that was long gone. The direct seeding method has two main advantages over conven- tional reforestation projects: it is much cheaper and it results in the establishment of native species collected from local and indigenous populations. Our reforestation projects will take place in New Cas- tle County along Blackbird Creek at the Blackbird Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, along Cedar Creek wit hin the Cedar Creek Natural Area, Sussex County, and at the Center for the Inland Bays’ James Farm Ecological Preserve on Indian River Bay, also in Sussex County. Continued on page 6 The Turk's Qp, Volume 5, Number 2 Letter From The President Continued from page 1 that, yes indeed, it was smoke that I was sensing and that its origin was from Quebec wildfires. It all seemed so surreal. But I digress, I wanted to relate a bit about the purpose of my trip to the Pine Barrens. 1 went on an excursion to photo- graph several plants that were formerly known from Delaware but not seen since the nineteenth century. I was especially inter- ested in taking pictures of the bog asphodel, Narthecium cuneri- canum, and the golden-crest, Lophiola aurea. 1 was directed to a botanically rich and very well known bog near Martha’s Fur- nace where both species, among many other interesting tax a, could be observed and photographed. The bog asphodel, according to herbarium records dated 1894 and 1895 (the only known Delaware collections), and as noted in R. Tatnall’s (1946) Flora of Delaware and the Eastern Shore , was once known from two locations in Delaware. The site in Sussex County, a “swamp near Lewes” seemed like a reasonable spot to find this plant but the New Castle County site, “on damp railroad bank at VanDyke,” seemed a bit far-fetched. The gold- en-crest, on the other hand, was last collected in Delaware in 1 874. This unusual and very attractive plant was found in “pine -barren bogs between Gumboro and Laurel.” I would have liked to have seen those bogs; a habitat now virtually absent from the state but quite abundant in south Jersey. Likewise, the “swamp near Lewes” is likely an extensive salt marsh along the former Lewes Creek (obliterated after the construction of tine Lewes- Rehoboth Canal and subsequent inflow of salt water). I knew that if I were to ever photograph these plants I’d have to travel outside Delaware. So, with much anticipation I walked along the old log- ging road that traversed a typical pine-barrens community of pitch pine, scrub oak, blackjack oak, heaths and bracken fern. And after a mile and a quarter hike I crossed one of the numer- ous rivers of the Pine Barrens and then after a brief walk further east, per my directions, I made a 90 degree turn and walked a short distance through the pine lands and then down a slope that opened-up into a spectacular sphagnum bog. I was awe-struck. The image before me was one of true beauty. It was an otherworldly looking place full of insectivo- rous plants and other odd or uncommon plants. The bog aspho- del numbered in the thousands. However, I was just a little dis- appointed since it was a few days past its prime. Nevertheless, the golden-crest, in all its splendor and almost as abundant, was at its flowering peak. It nearly made-up for my being late for the asphodel. In addition, there was an abundance of thread- leaved sundews, Drosera filifonnis, two-formed pink or lance- leaved sabatia, Sabatia diffonnis, horned bladderworts, Utricn- laria cornuta , purple pitcher plants. Sarracenia purpurea , Car- olina redroot, Lachnanthes earn liana, pipeworts, Eriocaulon spp., grass-pink orchid, Calopogon tuberosus, rose pogonia, Pogonia ophtoglossoides , and many other herbs including vari- ous sedges and grasses; too numerous to mention them all. I could have spent the whole day there, so it was with great reluctance that I pried myself out of the bog and ventured back to the road. On my walk back I passed a couple, and I wondered if they were going to the place I just left. I stopped along the way picking and munching on delicious blueberries that were at their peak. As I crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge stuck in thick traffic that originated from the Jersey shore I couldn’t Psge 5 help but think that I alone, amongst all the thousands of motor- ists on that afternoon trip home, had the privilege and good fortune to see another world. A world of such exquisite and indescribable beauty that is quite hidden from view, surrounded by a veil of greenery that makes-up the pine barrens. I hope that everyone is able to get out into the elements, forget about or thumb your nose at the heat, humidity, ticks and mosquitoes and enjoy the wild places, plants and ani- mals that share our surroundings. It is definitely worth it. hi fact, just today I had the great fortune to be shown, by the state botanist of Delaware, Bill McAvoy, the only known Delaware location for the purple fringeless orchid, Platanthera peramoena. While I and another DNPS member, David Smith, prepared our cameras. Bill carefully removed the netted cage that encircled the only flowering stem of this plant in all of Del- aware. Immediately after Bill removed the protective net a bee zoomed in to have a closer look. Li fact, this was the first year in half a dozen that this species has made an appearance in Del- aware. It was a beautiful sight and if I was a birder, or if bota- nists did such things, 1 could now add this species to my life list. I think I will anyways. 1 just hope the photos turn out! I’d like to conclude this letter by again, encouraging everyone to get involved with their native plant society and, if you have a story or two to tell about a native plant outing, write it down and send it to the Turk’s Cap editor; he’d love to hear from you. DNPS activities will be picking-up this August and throughout the fall (see this issue for details). I hope to see many of you at these events. But, if you can’t make them I hope you are able to enjoy native plants and then habitats in your own way. Best wishes for a very cool summer! Sincerely, Keith Clancy o o o o o o Event Highlights Tree top woods, red clay creek A small group attended this outing on 20 April 2002, led by Janet Ebert and Jack Holt. Janet reported that partici- pants were treated to a plethora of native and, alas, alien plants. There was quite a lot to see as they meandered tlnoughout a diversity of habitats along the Red Clay Creek, in northern Del- aware. A total of 218 species, amongst 73 families were ob- served, including 74 (or 34%) alien species, and 17 state rare plants. Highlights of the trip included seeing goldenseal ( Hydrastis canadensis ) in bloom, an immature fly-poison ( Amianthium muscaetoxicum ), columbine ( Aquilegia canaden- sis ), and early meadow rue ( Thalictrum dioicum ) along the railroad, yellow toadshade trillium ( Trillium luteum) (apparently planted, certainly not native), the native nodding trillium ( Trillium cemuum ), and wild leeks ( Allium tricoccum). The rare plants observed included the following: marginal woodfern, Dryopteris marginalis , rock polypody, Polypodium virginianum , woodland club-rush, Trichophonim planifolinm , wild leeks, A Ilium tricoccum , fly-poison, Amianthium mus- caetoxicum, and columbine, Aquilegia canadensis to name a few. Psge 6 The Turk's Qp, Volume 5, Number 2 Native Plant Highlight Bladderworts Species within the genus Utricularia, family Lentibu- lariaceae, are carnivorous, herbaceous aquatic plants commonly known as bladderworts. The common name refers to traps, or um-like bladders borne on finely dissected leaves of the branch- es. The trapping mechanism consists of a bladder, a hang- ing door, and four stiff bristles attached to the lower edge of the door. Tiny animals, particularly crustaceans brush against the bristles causing the door to spring open. Water then rushes into the bladder and carries the animal with it. Once the bladder is filled, the door snaps shut. The prey is then digested by en- zymes secreted by the plant. Bladderworts tire perennial plants that are either aquat- ic free-floating plants without roots, or are terrestrial; terrestrial in the sense that they are anchored to the substrate by under- ground creeping stems. Utricularia inf lata and U. radiata are examples of species that are free-floating. These species have distinctive swollen branches that look like “floats” that radiate from a node of the flowering stem like spokes of a wheel. Utric- ularia resupinata and U.juncea are examples of species that are terrestrial. The lower portions of their stems are subterrane- an and form mats of branched slender rhizomes, usually in satu- rated sandy soils. The flowers of bladderworts are either yellow or pur- ple. The flowers are two-lipped, the upper lip is erect and the lower lip is usually three-lobed with a spur, or tube-like projec- tion. Flowers are borne on a leafless stem, or scape, and are one to several flowered. Fruit is a pod with several seeds. Bladderworts can be identified when flowering with- out too much trouble, but they are often found only in their veg- etative state. Usually as a mass of finely dissected leaf-like branches. With some effort and study, species can be named using only vegetative characters. Thirteen (13) species are known from Delaware and all occur primarily in the Coastal Plain physiographic province of the state. All species of bladderworts in Delaware, with the ex- ception of one (U. macwrhiza), are considered to be rare or uncommon by the Delaware Natural Heritage Program. One species, (/, cornu t a, is historical in the state (last collected in 1923 from Sussex Co.), and another, U. minor, is thought to be extirpated, or gone from the state (last collected in 1863 from New Castle County). Bladderworts occur in a variety of habitat types in Del- aware. Some types are unique or specialized, such as Atlantic white cedar swamps and bogs, interdunal swales, sea-level fens, and coastal plain seasonal ponds. Other types are not so unique, such as slow moving streams and rivers. Others are artificial in their origins, such as millponds and abandoned sandpits. The genus Utricularia in Delaware: Utricularia biflora Lam. two-flower bladderwort Utricularia cornuta Michx. homed bladderwort Utricularia fibrosa Britt. fibrous bladderwort Utricularia geminiscapa Benj. hidden-fruited bladderwort Utricularia gibba L. humped bladderwort Utricularia inflata Walt. large swollen bladderwort Utricularia juncea Vahl southern bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza Le Conte (syn.= U. vulgaris L.) large bladderwort Utricularia minor L. lesser bladderwort Utricularia purpurea Walt. purple bladderwort Utricularia radiata Small small swollen bladderwort Utricularia resupinata B.D. Greene ex Bigelow northeastern bladderwort Utricularia subulata L. zigzag bladderwort 0000 William McAvoy, DNPS Vice-president o o o o o o Don f T Miss These Upcoming Events Continued from page 4 We are looking for volunteers to help in this environ- mentally significant project. For more information about this project and to volunteer contact the Delaware Native Plant Society, by mail, at P.O. Box 369, Dover, DE, 19903, telephone at 302-674-5187, or by email at dnps@delawarenativeplants.org, or visit our website at www.delawarenativeplants.org. The DNPS acknowledges the cooperation and support, for this project, of land managers with the Division of Parks and Recreation, and Soil and Water, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Blackbird Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Center for the Inland Bays. This project has received generous funding from the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Inc, the Delaware Estu- ary Program and the Environmental Protection Agency. 2ND ANNUAL DNPS NATIVE PLANT SALE The Delaware Native Plant Society’s 2nd Annual Native Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday, November 2, 2002. It will take place at the St. Jones Reserve outside Dover. Plans are under- way to ensure that this event will be bigger and better than our inaugural sale. We will be having a planning meeting sometime in August. Stay tuned for additional details. If you are interest- ed in helping with this event (remember all volunteers re- ceive a free native plant of their choice) please contact the soci- o o o o o o Event Highlights Continued from page 5 DNPS ANNUAL MEETING: AN ENJOYABLE AFFAIR The annual meeting held on May 4 th at the St. Jones Reserve was quite a fun time. The morning was consumed with a great field trip to an old growth forest along the Maidstone branch in Kent County where we saw some great rich woods pockets and a few state rare plants. After luxuriating in the coolness of the forest shade, we retired to the air conditioned building at the St. Jones Reserve to partake of a delicious pot luck lunch and a presentation by Dr. Sue Barton of the Univer- sity of Delaware on enhancing Delaware’s highways with native plantings. The event was a wonderful success and fun was had by all. We hope to see you at this event next year, The Turk's Cap, Volume 5, Number 2 ZfPConwjrG £^V£jrrs Psge7 Saturday, 10 August 2002 - Delaware Native Plant Society field trip to an Atlantic White Cedar Swamp. From 10 AM to 3 PM. For more information Call 302.674.5187, or email at DNPLANT@AOL.COM, AND SEE DETAILS INSIDE THIS ISSUE. Saturday, 24 August 2002 - Delaware Native Plant Society kayak trip on the Browns Branch. From 10 AM to whenever. For more information Call 302.674.5187, or email at dnplant@aol.com, AND SEE DETAILS INSIDE THIS ISSUE. Saturday, 28 September 2002 - Harvest Moon Revel at the Coverdale FArm. From 5 PM to mid- night. Farm tours, auction, lots of food, square dancing. Fun activities for kids and adults. For MORE INFORMATION CALL 302.239.2334, OR ON THE WEB AT WWW.DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG. Saturday, 28 September 2002 - Delaware Center for Horticulture Tree Spree, at the Carousel Park from 10 AM to 2 PM. The fair will feature tree plantings, nature hikes, live demonstrations AND EXHIBITS, CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES, HAYRIDES, AND A CEREMONIAL TREE PLANTING. FREE NATIVE TREE SEEDLING GIVEAWAY! CELEBRATION WILL BE HELD RAIN OR SHINE! FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 302.658.6262, OR ON THE WEB AT WWW.DEHORT.ORG. Saturday, 05 October and Sunday, 6 Ocotber 2002 - Harvest Moon Festival at the Coverdale Farm. From 10 AM to 5 PM. Music, arts and crafts, farm animals, history programs, games, HAYRIDES, HIKES. FOR MORE DETAILS CALL 302.239.2334, OR ON THE WEB AT WWW.DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG. Saturday, 02 November 2002 - Second Annual Delaware Native Plant Society native plant sale. More details will be given later. For more information Call 302.674.5187, or email at DNPLANT@AOL.COM, AND SEE INSIDE THIS ISSUE. DNPS Bi-monthly meetings for 2002 - are currently scheduled the 3rd Tuesday of every other MONTH (EXCEPT MAY). OUR NEXT MEETINGS WILL BE, SEPTEMBER 1 7, AND NOVEMBER 19, 2002. MEETINGS WILL TAKE PLACE, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTIFIED, AT 7 PM AT THE AQUATICS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CEN- TER, Woodland Beach Wildlife Area, Rte 9 (4876 Hay Point Landing Road) about 1 mile north of Rte 6. With the exception of the January meeting, we will have guest speakers at each meeting (SPEAKERS AND THEIR TOPICS TBA AT A LATER DATE). ACTIVITES MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE AFTER EACH SEM- INAR. Check our website for additional details or email us at dnps@delawarenativeplants.org. Announcement New Officers* elected Congratulations to the following individuals who were elected to 2 year terms (2002-2004) at the DNPS 4 th Annual Meeting which was held 4 May 2002: President Keith Clancy Vice-president William McAvoy Secretary Rick Mickowski * Eric Zuelke remains as Treasurer (his term ends in 2003) The Turk's Cap, Volume 5, Number 2 Page 8 l Membership Application I L ». ». ». ». ». _ , Member Information i Delaware native Plant Society , i Name: Business Name or Organization: Address: City and Zip Code: Telephone (home/work): E-mail address: " Individual $15.00 " Full-time Student $10.00 " Family or Household $18.00 " Contributing $50.00 " Business $100.00 " Lifetime $500.00 " Donations are also welcome $_ Membership benefits include: * The DNPS quarterly newsletter, The Turk’s Cap * Native plant gardening and landscaping information * Speakers and field trips Total Amount Enclosed: $ Make check payable to: DE Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369, Dover, DE 19903 Delaware Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369 Dover, Delaware 19903 Complimentary Copy