radbackedsalamander's Favorites

The story as I remember it on this one. Someone sent me a text saying they found this snake and had it in a bucket but wanted me to ID it. They "tossed a lizard in with it". I got there later and looked in the bucket under something they had and it was eating the ground skink. Kind of freaked me out when I saw it for two reasons, they had a protected species in a bucket which is a no no and the fact that it was eating a skink. Any website you go to at this point only listed crowned snakes as their food source. Since this pic you see more than just snakes listed. I caught a lot of hell for this pic I took and encouraged the home owner to release it back where he found it after it finished eating

Collected as part of an official research survey for this species. This individual had been initially tagged and stocked into Allegheny Reservoir 5 years prior, and at some point went over the reservoir's dam and swam back up into this nearby tributary of the Allegheny River.

New EO for this species.

Flat, wet area mostly surrounded by upward slopes, anywhere from gentle to a maximum of about 30 degrees. The wetland had little visible standing water however the vast majority of the ground here was covered in sphagnum, no visible mud other than spots disturbed by deer or otherwise. After a few dozen yards the wetland became thick with Vaccinium, but the edges had sparse trees with minimal understory. Trees consisted of red maple, a small patch of tupelo, and white pines here and there. Ferns were starting to grow in which I assume were Massachusetts based on similar habitat to another site for this orchid. Other than the ferns in the immediate vicinity of the plant vegetation was relatively sparse, but Lysimachia borealis and Maianthemum canadense nearby. I took a sample of the first inch or so of soil near the first plant I found which seemed to solely be organic matter, presumably dead sphagnum.

In the areas I’ve seen these plants a few common plants that weren’t present in any sites are Impatiens, Chamaedaphne, and Onoclea sensibilis. This species was not found in any floodplain habitats or nearby wide or high-energy streams.

I did not extensively survey this area as there weren’t many areas to walk which weren’t potentially suitable habitat outside of the perimeter, but just based on walking in from an area that had stumps to walk on it seemed the plants were mostly around the perimeter. 25 plants found at the first site where I spent the most time, each time I poked back toward the edge of this roughly circular wetland I found plants, with five at the second spot and one at the last. The samples represent about half of the wetland, so it is probably safe to assume they can be found around the entire perimeter, and possibly more within.

These plants were found growing in thin soil over ledge with associated vegetation indicating circumneutral conditions. This image was taken during a follow up visit after initial observation in July of the same year (See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/198391825 for images from that visit).

The brown, minutely echinate pericarp which readily separates from the slightly ovate achene, distinguishes Chenopodium foggii from C. album and other similar congeners.

Thirty-three plants were located, restricted to an area of approximately 20 sq. meters, growing in thin soil (3-5 cm) and pockets of soil, lacking leaf litter, at the base of trees and on ledges. The canopy was open with Fraxinus americana, Quercus velutina, and Ostrya virginiana growing along the periphery. Seven individuals of Chenopodium foggii were located in the opening which was dominated by Carex pensylvanica, with scattered Capnoides sempervirens, Parthenocissus inserta, Elymus hystrix, Erechtites hieracifolius, Chenopodium simplex, Dryopteris marginalis, Polygonatum pubescens, Danthonia spicata, several individuals of Geranium bicknellii and Solanum dulcamara, and a single individual of Crataegus macrocarpon. The remnants of several fallen Fraxinus americana were scattered about the opening; no evidence of emerald ash borer was observed. The remaining twenty-six plants were seen growing along the southern periphery of the opening, on ledge outcrops terraced downward to the south, with vegetation as above as well as Fallopia cilinodis, Ageratina altissima, Circaea canadensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Maianthemum racemosum, Aquilegia canadensis, Micranthes virginiensis, and Festuca subverticillata. On the eastern periphery, ledge outcrops with a similar flora lead downward to a talus slope, although no C. foggii was observed in either of these areas.

Complete absence of dark 'tear-drop" marking under eye. Side with irregular black speckles, row of black spots midway through caudal fin. Inhabiting cold, spring-fed water (not typically inhabited by G. affinis).

Abundant in spring-fed old hatchery pond on campus. Had heard talks about this and other Gambusia species in the region at the SWAN meetings earlier in the day.

This species isn’t typically recognized from New England where it is subsumed under Carya glabra, but given the strange habitat (sandy outwash with perched water table over silt-clay glaciolacustrine sediment) and the fact that I’ve never seen a pignut like this, I’m going to throw out the C. ovalis ID, which is recognized in Weakley’s flora of the Southeast (and lists MA as the northern extent).