xt- •dS3 v/3 # 2 - u LONG ISLAND BOTANICAL SOCIETY LUES ] ciotiam ^ ; 1 f Vol. 13, No.2 The Quarterly Newsleti \er APR 0 9 2003 Aj pr. - May 2003 A Survey of the Bryophytes of Shu Swamp Preserve, Mill Neck, New York Eric C. Morgan Jon Sperling The Shu Swamp Preserve, also known as the Charles T. Church Nature Sanctuary, in Mill Neck, Long Island, NY, is a site well known to local botanical and natural history enthusiasts. Due in part to this popularity, an unpublished list of over 300 vascular plant species has been compiled for the site. The forests on the site are dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera L., Acer rubrum L., and Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., with an understory layer of Carpinus caroliniana Walter and Hamamelis virginiana L. (personal observation). In spite of its appeal the authors could find no significant reference to the bryophyte flora of the preserve. As a whole, the bryophytes are an extraordinary and important group of plants consisting of over 1 5,000 known species. One genus, Sphagnum , has more carbon stored than any other genus of plants on earth (Clymo & Hayward 1982). Bryophytes are also excellent indicators of environmental change due to pollution, many species being indicators of particular pollutants (Bates 200 1 ). With this in mind it is clear that the bryophytes need to be included more often in our species inventories as a method of providing baseline inventories of species by which future changes in an ecosystem can be measured. Bryophytes fall into three distinct classes known as Class Anthocerotae, Class Hepaticae, and Class Musci, commonly known as the Homworts, Liverworts, and Mosses, respectively. This survey provides a preliminary listing of the species found at the preserve. L NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN This list will surely grow as overlooked species are added as the result of future surveys. The list is the result of collections made by the authors from January 2001 through April 2002. Voucher specimens were made for all species observed and have been deposited in the Bryophyte collection of the Herbarium of Clark Botanic Garden. In total 1 0 species of Liverwort and 28 species of Moss were found. These results are listed in the Appendix. Species were identified by using the keys provided by Andrus (1980), Crum (1983), Grout (1916), Conard and Redfeam (1979), and Schuster (1953). (Continued on page 28) Page 25 Long Island Botanical Society Founded: 1986 Incorporated: 1989 Society News The Long Island Botanical Society is dedicated to the promotion of field botany and a greater under- standing of the plants that grow wild on Long Island, New York. Executive Board President Eric Lamont (631)722-5542 Vice President Skip Blanchard (631)421-5619 Treasurer Carol Johnston (516) 676-6648 Recording Secretary Barbara Conolly (516) 922-5935 Corresponding Secretary John Potente (631)361-6756 Committee Chairpersons Local Flora Steven Clemants (718) 623-7309 Field Trips Jenny Ulsheimer (516) 625-0989 Programs Rich Kelly (516)354-6506 Membership Lois Lindberg (516) 922-0903 Conservation John Turner (516) 829-3368 Karen Blumer (631) 821-3337 Education Mary Laura Lamont (631)722-5542 Thomas Stock (631)727-5250 Hospitality Jane Blanchard (631)421-5619 Betty Lotowycz (516) 676-2047 Zu Proly (516) 676-4023 Editor John Potente (631) 361-6756 Membership Annual Dues of $ 1 5 payable to: Long Island Botanical Society Mail to: Lois Lindberg, Membership Chairperson 45 Sandy Hill Road Oyster Bay, New York 11771-3111 Article & News Submissions Long Island Botanical Society P.O. Box 5001 Hauppauge, New York 11788 libs@nativeamerica.org Printed by Native America Botany 2003 : The 2003 joint annual meeting of The Northeastern Section of the Botanical Society of America, the Long Island Botanical Society, the Torrey Botanical Society and the Philadelphia Botanical Club will be held June 22 to June 26, 2003 (Sunday evening - Thursday morning) at the New York Institute of Technology, Central Islip Campus. The campus is located in Suffolk County, Long Island, near all major roads and public transportation. There will be 3 1/2 days of field tripsand lectures of botanical interest. The areas to be visited include a unique 300 year old Maritime Holly Forest on a barrier island, the globally rare Dwarf Pine Plains, a northeastern Mixed Hardwood Forest on a terminal moraine and an unusual Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Barrens. Plant communities to be seen include salt marsh, fresh water bog, kettle holes, swamp and forest. Also to be seen are plant communities associated with ponds, rivers, ocean, and the Long Island Sound. Registration fee, of approximately $350 includes all meals (Sunday dinner through Thursday breakfast), housing, evening programs and transportation (when not car-pooling). Day-trippers will be invited (at a lower fee) if there is space available. Everybody interested in botany, or in rare plant communities, or nature in general, is welcome to attend. Preregistration is required. To request a registration form or to get additional information, contact Joanne Tow: (516)931-2073, or email: botany2003@hotmail.com Note: Those wishing to volunteer as interpreters and hike facilitators are asked to contact Joanne. Judicial Gesticulations: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has issued aNotice ofViolation to the developer of Randall Woods in Wading River for bringing in bulldozers. The issuance was based upon Article 1 1 , the Endangered Species Protection Act, which means the developer will have to redesign the entire project. The New York State Supreme Courts’s Appellate Division, Second Department has reversed a lower court’s decision and ruled in favor of the Stony Brook Coalition to Save Stony Brook’s last forest behind the Village Post Office. The decision from the four judges was unanimous. The site has already been cleared, and built upon. “Decision & Order: On April 23, 1999, Eagle Realty Holdings, Inc. submitted an application to expand the Stony Brook Post Office and construct an Educational and Cultural Center in Forsythe Meadows, Stony Brook, Town of Brookhaven. It called for removal of approximately 60,000 cubic yards of fill from the subject property. The subject property is owned by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization (herein the WMHO), a non-profit organization, and Eagle Realty holds title to the income- producing properties acquired by the WMHO. Forsythe Meadows, the last forest in Stony Brook, is home to oak and tulip trees. The subject property is also located within the Stony Brook Historic District and in close proximity to houses built in the 1 9th century. The Planning Board of the Town of Brookhaven (hereinafter the Planning Board) was designated as the lead agency.” Page 26 Letters to the Editor It was nice to see and read Lance Biechele’s piece, “Powdery Mildews”. It brought back the memory of a pleasant day when Lance, Sam Ristich and I searched for mushrooms at Trout Pond in Noyac. They stopped at every leaf fungus. At the same time East Hampton town was decimating the bird’s foot violet, it also mowed down a well-staked white milkweed plant growing along the side of a road in Northwest. I had previously photographed the plant’s blooms and pollinators. But when I returned to collect seeds for propagation, the plant was mowed and strewn about along with the stakes and ribbon. The plant never grew back. Unfortunately, the plant Jim Ash found did not set seed and, according to Jim, it appeared to be animal browsed. Young pods are quite tasty in nonpoisonous species. Jean Held, Editor, South Fork Natural History Society I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading the article on the American Chestnut. It was beautifully written and held my rapt attention throughout. I am impressed wtih your knowledge of the molecular biology of gene transfers and grateful you were able to “head them off at the pass” when they were introducing the anti-fungal gene into the chestnut genome. I feel better with the backcrossing approach. Also, the relatively poor showing of the hypovirulent American blight fungus is cause for diappointment. The lab photos of the fungus added a great deal to the article. It was the most comprehensive and up- to-date treatment of the subject I have ever read. Thanks for all that useful information. Andrew Greller, Department of Biology, Queens College The story of the American Chestnut in the Long Island Botanical Society newsletter was one of the best articles I have read yet! Herb Darling, President, American Chestnut Foundation Plant Sightings Curly Grass Fern: Eric Lamont annually counts the population of Curly Grass Fem ( Schizaea pusilla) at Napeague and , while only a handful of specimens had been there the last few years, in 2002 there were hundreds of individuals. Whorled Milkweed: Skip and Jane Blanchard and A1 Lindberg found Whorled Milkweed ( Asclepias verticillata ) on the July 4th butterfly count in Underhill’s and Skip Blanchard and Rich Kelly found Bog Aster ( Aster nemoralis) in the Quogue Refuge on Saturday, August 17, 2002. Siberian Geranium: Barbara Conolly reported the presence of a number of Siberian Geranium ( Geranium sibiricum) plants in Coffin Wood, Locust Valley, after the absence of three or four years. She added that this preserve also contains Fiveleaf Akebia ( Akebia quinata) growing like Kudzu along one path. Grape Fern: Skip Blanchard found Grape Fem ( Botrychium dissectum v. obliquum) by a path at Big Reed Pond, Montauk. Puncture Weed: Eric found a new plant for his list on Plum Island recently. It was Puncture Weed ( Tribulus terrestris ), a native of the Mediterranean area, and well-established as a roadside weed in western United States. (Barbara Conolly reports that it is well established in Floarida as well.) Wild Petunia: John Potente came across Wild Petunia ( Ruellia humilis) in his yard in Hauppauge. Barbara Conolly and Betty Lotowycz avowed that a slide photograph of it looked like the plant they found in Coffin Woods in the summer of 2002. The specimen from Coffin Woods has been pressed and will be placed in the Planting Fields herbarium. Late Flowering Boneset: Dave Kunstler reported a stand of 230 plants of Late-Flowering-Boneset ( Eupatorium serotinum) at Pelham Bay Park, Bronx. 27 Alan Hale In Shu Swamp, the diversity of bryophytes can be attributed to the diversity of habitats. Species re- corded include aquatic, terrestrial, and epiphytic plants as well as many occupying specific niches within those categories. Many species are also found in close as- sociation with other species and to date, many have not been found outside their apparent association. A good example being the association of Mnium hornum , Tetr aphis pellucida , and Odontoschisma denudatum. While Mnium hornum is common throughout the pre- serve, T. pellucida and O. denudatum have not been collected outside of this association at Shu Swamp. Fu- ture work at this site will include more detailed descrip- tions of the habit of each species to enable the reader to more easily locate the listed species on site. New shoot tips and capsules of Mnium hornum Appendix Class Hepaticae (Liverworts) Cephalozia bicuspidata (L.)Dum. Cephalozia lunulifolia (Dum.) Dum. Chilophyscus polyanthus (L.) Corda. var. rivularis Schrad. Frullania oakesiana Aust. Jamesoniella autumnalis (DC.) Steph. Lophocolea heterophylla (Schrad.) Dum. Odontoschisma denudatum (Nees ex. Mart.) Dum. Odontoschisma prostratum (Sw.) Trev. Pallavicinia lyellii (Hook.) Carruth. Plagiochila asplenoides (L.) Dum. Class Musci (Mosses) Amblystegium varium (Hedw.) Lindb. Atrichum angustatum (Brid.) B.S.G. Atrichum crispum (James) Sull. Aulacomnium palustre (Hedw.) Schwagr. Bryum argenteum Hedw. Bryum caespitosum Hedw. Callicladium haldinianum (Grev.) Cmm. Ceratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Brid. Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp. Dicranum flagellare Hedw. Dicranum scoparium Hedw. Fissidens osmundoides Hedw. Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. Funaria hygrometrica Hedw. var. hygrometrica Leucobryum albidum (Brid. ex P.-Beauv.) Lindb. Mnium hornum Hedw. Physcomitrium pyriforme (Hedw.) Hampe. Platygerium repens (Brid.) B.S.G. Polytrichum commune Hedw. Polytrichum juniperinum Hedw. Rhodobryum roseum (Hedw.) Limpr. Sphagnum henryense Wamst. Sphagnum imbricatum Russow. Sphagnum magellanicum Brid. Sphagnum palustre L. Tetraphis pellucida Hedw. Thelia hirtella (Hedw.) Sull. Thuidium delicatulum (Hedw.) B.S.G. var. delicatulum Literature Cited ANDRUS, R.E. 1980. Sphagnaceae (Peat Moss Family) of New York State. Contributions to a Flora of New York State. III. N. Y. State Museum Bull. No. 422. BATES, J.W. 2001. Mineral Nutrition, substratum ecology, and pollution. In Brypohyte Biology, ed Shaw, A. J. and B. Goffinett. pp 248-3 1 1 . Cambridge University Press. CLYMO, R.S. and P.M. Hayward. 1982. The Ecology of Sphagnum. In Bryophyte Ecology, ed. A.J.E. Smith, pp. 229- 289. Chapman and Hall, London. CONARD, H.S. and P.L. Redfeam Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts Second Edition. WCB McGraw Hill. Boston, Mass. CRUM, H. 1983. Mosses of the Great Lakes Forest. University of Michigan Herbarium. Ann Arbor, Michigan. GROUT, A.J. 1916. The Moss Flora of New York City and Vicinity. Published by Author. New Dorp, NY. SCHUSTER, R.M. 1953. Boreal Hepaticae. A Manual of the Liverworts of Minnesota and Adjacent Regions. The American Midland Naturalist. 49(2). Eric Morgan, SUNY at Farmingdale, Plant Taxonomy Jon Sperling, CUNY Queens College, Department of Biology Page 28 Tale of a Ragged Fringe John E. Potente (Continued from Vol 1 2, No. 4, page 4 1 ) Chapter 2 I had heard tales of a lady who sat down in the moss and gleaned it free of grass, twigs and debris until the softness of it was plusher than fine felt: an imagery of storybook pages that made one drift from reality for the chance to trespass illusion. How far did the moss grow? Was it a large shaded field? Was it an avenue through cathedral-sized trees? Was it a dark comer by a still pond or maybe a simple little patch hidden by vibur- num? I continued my own toil of prying invasive Japanese Honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica ) from the ground and yanking Oriental Bittersweet ( Celastrus orbiculatus ) by its neck in attempt to free the standing oaks and hickories, often thinking of this unknown woman of the woodland. It seemed the only chance of success was through obsession. Upon wresting a spot free of the invasive intruders, I finally saw a lime green hue cast upon the rich dark soil. Magic had rewarded my sweat and gmnts. The moss had come. I would get down on my knees. And then I got down further onto my elbows to gaze at the sunlight caught in the translucent embrace of the fairy tale plants, the beguiling bryophytes. The world changed while looking through the alleyways between the filament stalks of the spore capsules. No longer were there cars racing for a better traffic position driven by enraged motorists. No longer were there newspaper reports of volatile financial markets, weapons inspections or labor disputes. Only was there the small treat of seeing a captivating rise to success of minute green life from bare earth: a decoration that seemed meant to do no more than to enchant the beholder. Some years ago, I mingled among the crowd of unfamiliar faces, seeking refuge in even the barest of conversation as I walked, for the first time, the pre-program social of the Long Island Botanical Society. Not only were the people strangers to me, but the language being spoken was Linnaean Latin. I managed through the half hour hugging close to the milk and cookie table. A series of helpful introductions led me across the room to meet a spry silverhaired woman who seemed like she was well established in the group. “Elsa L’Hommedieu”, she offered as she held out her hand to greet me. Elsa and I became acquainted and I soon realized that it was she who tended the elusive garden of mossed eden below the Harbor Hill moraine. We talked at meetings of LIBS, TNC and Audubon and compared sightings as we hiked botany field trips. During one field trip at Connetquot State Park, while the hike leader Otto Heck was distracted and rushed off the trail to dive on a Hog Nose snake, Elsa mentioned to me that she had a rare species of Callitriche terrestris growing on her property. It would not be until years later that she finally granted me an invitation to visit her private hide- away in the land of the Nissequogue. Others of privelege had been there before me: John Cryan, Chris Mangels, Eric Lamont, Bob Laskowski and Bill Redshaw. And now I, too, would finally be one of the lucky ones to see the sublime landscape that I had envisioned for so long. I drove north following River Road along the banks of the Nissequogue River. Eventually, I came to the section of Long Beach Road that bore the telltale brush heaps: a stretch of roadside bordered with neatly piled branches, twigs, cut briar, leaves and logs. This was the landmark Elsa spoke of. It was the dis- carded vegetative debris that she marked her boundaries with: a linear compost heap of extracted invasive plants that stretched as far as the eye could see along the wind- ing town road. With unfailing jauntiness, Elsa appeared at the door- way and welcomed me to her private world. Led like an unsullied schoolboy, I followed her through the breezeway and out to the moss covered yard of her five acres estate. The air was rich. The ground was cushion. And the sight was exalting. Elsa had literally recreated a native garden of eden. Elsa, at ease in her woodland shelter, talked freely of her years of reviving the forest and of the wild- flowers that sprung up at each turn of the rustic path. She bent and knelt on occasion to describe how she would discharge the unwelcome plant interlopers. As we coursed the trails, sweeping the Spicebush ( Lindera benzoin) and Maple-leaved Viburnum ( Viburnum acerifolium) aside with raised arms, she would point to the brush piles, several feet high in spots. She took great pride in the extent and content of these decomposing monuments, as they represented the achievement of her year round revitalization efforts of this now endearing for- est. Elsa and I became good friends from then on. Page 29 Elsa L’Hommedieu tending to the moss ground cover on her land in Nissequogue. July, 1998 Raising the burlapped ball of soil containing the Ragged-fringed orchid. Nissequogue, April, 2002 Page 30 Welcoming the orchid to its new home on Native America preserve in Hauppauge. April, 2002 Emergent twin orchid leaves after the transplant to their new location in Hauppauge. April, 2002 Page 3 1 Ragged -fringed Orchid/ John E, Potente Elsa was the only one I knew who had restored to native condition a significant size of acreage on Long Island without disturbing it and doing it by hand. While others had bulldozed down invasive-ridden habitat, rototilled the ground mixing up the soil strata, carted in truckloads of offsite topsoil and replanted with nonlocal genotype plants and seeds from nurseries and catalogs, Elsa spent the time to pick each invasive plant out one by one, leaving the soil structure in order, the latent native seeds in place and the root architecture of the existing native plants intact. I was following in her tracks with my own efforts, but yet far behind. Elsa excused my delay as she would humbly explain that she was able to spend more time in the effort as I still worked full time. Pardoning further, she pointed out that she was working with a shaded climax forest where the invasive plant incursions were slower to re-emerge. I was dealing with field habitat where broad sunlight encourages the invasives and surrounding pioneer native bushes, vines and trees are quick to seed in. None- the-less, she was thirty years my elder and I bowed to her attainment. The most profound effect of Elsa’s meticulous care was the overall recuperation of five acres of clean deciduous forest habitat. Functional ecology was re- stored: the tree canopy once again broke the sunlight with dappled filtration, the understory leveled off with Spicebush and Maple-leaved Viburnum of uniform height and the ground abounded with Pyrola, Spotted Winter- green ( Chimaphila maculata) and Solomon’s Seal ( Polygonatum biflorum). But the flagship wildflower of her breathtaking accomplishment was the solitary Ragged-fringed Orchid ( Platanthera lacera). Elsa would tell me how she first noticed it in the spring of 1996. She fashioned a crude cage of bent wire mesh around it to protect it from browsing rab- bits and curious squirrels. There was no sign of it for the next four years. Perhaps the conditions were unfa- vorable, perhaps it was merely mobilizing under- ground. But, in the spring of 2000, the orchid was again ready and reappeared. When I would come to visit, she would remove the meshed housing and the green orchid would beam as if it knew it was the center of attention of all the land. As each season arose and retired, Elsa would call and tell of excitement in her yard. The Wild Geraniums ( Geranium maculatum) were blooming, a great homed owl was teaching its young high in her oaks, a doe was walking its fawn down her cleared path. Time and time again, I put aside my chores and shirked responsibilities to come and see. One innocent day in Febmary of 2002, 1 received a phone call from Stony Brook Hospital. It was Elsa. She called to tell me she had suffered a heart attack and was undergoing surgery. At that moment, the sea- sons halted and my world stood still. Again, I was reminded that the beauty and pleasures of the natural world are regrettably strewn with loss and uncertainty. The following day, Elsa was recovering from a quin- tuple bypass. And the day after that, Elsa, a former nurse herself, was now grabbing at bedrailings to sit. At a schedule that surpassed most, she regained health and was soon back sitting in her breezeway. But when I visited, it was not the same. Elsa decided it was time to leave her home. She told me she would be moving in with her welcoming son and daugher-in-law in California The yard, the restoration, the trees, the birds, the path and the peace would be left behind. We walked the trail a few more times and at its end was the Ragged- fringed Orchid, upright and alone. The prospective buy- ers had aspirations to redo the yard with bams, sheds, decks and paddocks. The orchid was not in their plans. While I often preached of the futility and disrespect in moving wild orchids from their natural habitat, this orchid seemed to beg for mercy. After discussing it with Elsa, it was agreed that it was forgivable to relocate the orchid. But the logistics of moving it and the prognosis of its survival were doubtful. Orchids rely on fungi in the soil to establish a mycorrhizal relation. But what fungi did the Ragged- fringed Orchid require? What conditions in this existing soil fostered the growth of the fungus that supported the orchid? Was it the decay of an oak or chestnut tree that had fallen two hundred years ago and imparted nutrition for a particular fungal species? Was it soil bacteria that fostered the fungus? Or was it simply the way the breeze blew through the trees? I spent the beginning days of cold damp April troweling around the orchid until I had dug a meter in diameter and a half meter deep. I built a crate in place and with the help of four sympathizing men, the orchid was raised. We hoisted the burlaped root ball that weighed a few hundred pounds into an idling SUV and drove seven miles south to Hauppauge. We drove slowly, turned up a dirt driveway and levered the heavy crate cradling the orchid sprout. The oversized burlapped ball was muscled into position and the orchid and accompanying soil and fungi were lowered into a waiting depression on the private preserve of Native America. (To be continued) Page 32 May: The Month of White Thomas Allen Stock White is the transcending of April into June. It is the resurrection of spring into summer. May is the month of white. Nature is full of examples, especially in its flowers. This brilliancy is due in part to the sun. Its arc has been increasing each day since March 21. It’s rays are reflecting off many flowers that have adopted white as their color. Can there be a biological reason why there are so many white flowers? Perhaps it has something to do with the vision of emerging insects. Perhaps white attracts more insects under these light conditions than any other color. One of the most unusual sights I saw in May was the “snow” of the Cottonwood ( Populus deltoides) trees in Upstate New York. Along meandering, muddy banked streams, Cottonwood trees looking like huge celery stalks produce the cottony seeds that waft into the air. I caught one of these fluff balls and pinched it to find the seed. It was minuscule. I could only feel a tiny bump smaller than a mustard seed. White flowers are like “points of light” on the green landscape. At roadside, Bladder Campion (Silene cucbalus) sways in the vacuum of passing cars. The seeds of dandelions look like white candy suckers. One unusual flower I saw was the rare white form of the Lady Slipper Orchid ( Cypripedium acaule forma alba). The white puffed blossom looked like some sort of Italian pastry. Such beauty is seldom found on the rocky wooded north shore of Long Island. Planting Fields Arboretum has some of these magnificent plants along their trails. The snows of winter are duplicated in the fallen leaves strewn beneath the Flowering Dogwood {Comus florida) trees that still hold some white bracts. Then there are the white blossoms forming up the landscape in May. Black Locusts’ (Robinia pseudoacacia) flowers cascade their white puffs high above the ground as if they were tiny clouds. Candelabras of Horse Chestnut (Aes cuius hippocastanum) blooms stand erect on the ends of their branches. Wild Cherry ( Prunus serotina) racemes look like bursts of fireworks. Their lacy, white blossoms are much more delicate than those of the locust or chestnut. The apple blossom petals, which started in April, have loosened and look like white puffs of smoke when a gust of wind passes through and blows them off the tree. Closer to the ground, twinkles of white can be seen. Canada Mayflower ( Maianthemum canadense), Garlic Mustard ( Alliaria officinalis ), and Starflower ( Trientalis borealis). Phlox ( Phlox subulata) touches up roadsides and edges. Residential suburban homes are bedded with their Lily-of-the-Valley ( Convallaria majalis). In addition to these, I have a Mayapple ( Podophyllum peltatum) grove and have to reach under the umbrella canopy of leaves to find its exquisite flower. Huge, floppy, tubular blossoms Azalea ( Rhododendron viscosum) simply overpower the senses. At the shore, Beach Plum ( Prunus maritima) blossoms are so dense that they look like the foam on the breakers on the other side of the dune. The pageantry of the cascade of white flowers across the month of May reminds me of the untanned skin we all have after we emerge from several months spent indoors during winter. White blends all colors. In May, flowering plants are all business. Each blossom is an advertisement, looking for insect customers. We humans are lucky to have the spin-off of May’s visual beauty. Wild Lily-of-the-Valley ( Convallaria majalis) Page 33 Trillium In the April woods at dusk, amphibian music over the pond, whip-poor-will music in the trees, trillium dance and a child watches. Like stars she can not see them revolve but they are in threes their fans of leaves and sepals hues of green, tapering petals: magenta, maroon, white. The child believes and in the cool darkness hears the plants call down motions of stars. — Maxwell Corydon Wheat, Jr. Page 34 Programs April 8, 2003* Tuesday, 7:30 PM Gerry Moore: “Botanical Contributions of Witmer stone.” This talk will touch on Whitmer Stone’s life at the Academy of Natural Sciences, his archives, and a life portrait emphasizing the botanical contributions of this founder of the Philadelphia Botanical Club. Dr. Moore is a Research Taxonomist at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Location: Bill Paterson Nature Center, Muttontown Preserve, East Norwich May 13, 2003* Tuesday, 7:30 PM Wei Fang: “Assessing the Impact of an Exotic Invasive Tree Species, Acer platanoides , on the Community and Ecosystem Dynamics of Natural Woodlands.” Wei obtained a BS in Environmental Biology and Ecology at Peking University, and recently received her doctorate, at SUNY Stony Brook, on the subject that she will be presenting to us. Location: Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences, Earth and Space Science Building, Gil Hanson Room (Room 123) SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook June 10, 2003 Tuesday, 5:30 PM Annual Barbeque: The annual barbeque, featuring Chef Eric’s made-to-order hot dogs and hamburgers. He’ll even toast the bun if you ask nicely. The traditional location - on the green behind the Muttontown Preserve meeting house. Location: Bill Paterson Nature Center, Muttontown Preserve, East Norwich Map to Earth and Space Science Building at the State University of New York at Stony Brook * Refreshments and informal talk begin at 7:30. Formal meeting starts at 8:00 PM. Directions to Muttontown: 5 1 6-57 1 -8500 Directions to Stony Brook:5 16-354-6506 Page 35 Long Island Botanical Society Muttontown Preserve Muttontown Lane East Norwich. New York 11732 Field Trips April 19, 2003 @ 9:00 AM (Saturday) Pelham Bay Park, Bronx Co., NY Hike Leader: David Kunstler ' i ifiiti - hogisiano : Ml HUNTER ISLAND x MARINE ZOOLOGY & k >- GEOLOGY I ■" SANCTUARY PELHAM GOLF COURSE ~ - Vtooof- ' .-<1, 4 . j r # , the MEADOW HIGH ISLAND - -’L CITY ISLAND (NO ACCESS) David Kuntsler will lead the Long Island Botanical Society through the greenery of the Bronx at the wa- terfront habitat of Pelham Bay Park. Directions : The Bruckner Expressway/ New England Thruway has two park exits: “Country Club Road/ Pelham Bay Park” and Orchard Beach/ City Island.” So does the Hutchinson River Parkway, at “Pelham Parkway East” and “Orchard Beach/ City Island.” Pelham Parkway serves as a crosstown route to the green space. Follow the signs to Orchard Beach. ' ,/ • W\w> w May 3, 2003 @ 9:30 AM (Saturday) Marine Study Area, Oceanside, NY Hike Leader: Michael Farina JoinMike Farina as he gives a guided tour of the south shore maritime habitat. Directions : Take Meadowbrook Pkwy south; Go west on Southern State Pkwy to exit #20 S (Grand Ave). Take Grand Ave. to Sunrise Highway and make right, heading west; Make left onto Oceanside Rd. and continue south to Waukena Ave. Make a left onto Waukena and follow signs to Marine Preserve. May 31, 2003 @ 10:00 AM (Saturday) Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park Oakdale, New York Hike Leader: Brian Feil The current collection of fir, spruce, pine , cypress, hemlock and other conifers is probably the most ex- tensive to be found on Long Island. Directions : Grand Central Pkwy to Northern Pkwy, or the Long Island Expressway to Sagtikos State Pkwy south to Southern State Pkwy, east to Heckscher State Pkwy, south to Montauk Highway exit #45E (Route 27A) to the Arboretum. From East- ern Long Island: Sunrise Highway (Route 27) west to Southern State Pkwy, south to exit 45 E (Route 27A), east on Route 27 A to Arboretum. There is a $5 parking fee. Meet in the Parking Lot June 8, 2003 @ 9:00 AM (Sunday) In wood Hill Park, New York, NY Hike Leader: Jenny Ulsheimir Jenny will lead the pack ofbotanists through Inwood. Directions : Go west on IU Willets Rd. toward Searingtown Rd. S; Turn right onto Searingtown Rd. N; Turn left onto North Service Road; Merge onto Long Island Expressway/I-95 West via the ramp (on the left) toward New York; Take the Cross Island Pkwy North exit #30N toward Whitestone Bridge; Take the Cross Island Pkwy North ramp toward Whitestone Bridge; Merge onto Cross Island Pkwy North; Merge onto 1-295 North via exit #33 toward Bronx/New England; 1-295 North becomes Cross Bronx Expresway/I-95 S; Merge onto 1-87 N/Ma - jor Deegan Expressway via exit #1 C toward Albany; Take the West 230 St. exit #10; Turn left onto W 230th St.; Turn left onto US-9/Broadway; Turn right onto W 2 1 8th St.; Turn left onto Indian Rd. Page 36