November Ecoquest: Groundsel Tree

The Groundsel Tree was the easiest to find out of all the challenges. It was certainly much bigger than the Common Mugwort and the American Jumpseed. To find the Groundsel Tree, I looked it up on the iNaturalist app to find if people had previously found it in the area I was in. I saw that others had found it in Central Park by this bridge near the Ramble, so I went there. It was so easy to find because the branchlets are so distinguishable, they look like cotton and are so white and beautiful. Also, the tree was definitely a considerable size, so it was not hard to spot. The Groundsel tree that I found was very similar to the picture on NYBG's website, and I was so excited to find it. I noticed that it lived by a body of water (the Central Park Lake), and I think that's because it's a marsh plant. Also, since I was looking during November, and this was the November challenge, I think it was in its prime time to present its white branchlets in full bloom.

Posted on November 24, 2020 03:16 AM by dslepyan