Leader for today’s Ramble: Heather Lickliter Larkin

Authors of today’s report: Heather Lickliter Larkin, Linda Chafin

The photos that appear in this report were taken by Heather, unless otherwise credited. Photos may be enlarged by clicking them with a mouse or tapping on your screen.

Nature Ramble rainy day policy: We show up at 9:00am, rain or shine. If it’s raining, we will meet and socialize in the conservatory (bring your own coffee); if there is a break in the rain, we’ll go outside and do a little rambling.

Today’s emphasis: Hydrophobic plants! Hydrophobic means water-repelling, hydro– from the Latin for water and –phobic from Latin for fear.

Number of Ramblers today: 28

Announcements:
The next exhibit to go up in the Garden’s Visitor Center art gallery is entitled “Tiny Worlds.” Five out of six of the artists whose work is in this show are former or current ramblers! Heather Larkin, Don Hunter, Bill Sheehan, Sandy Shaul, Diego Huet, and Rosemary Woodel invite you to appreciate the natural beauty of tiny bugs, fungi, slime molds, and other creatures that are less than 4 inches wide or tall – creatures that most people would normally walk right by. The show will be up from August 18 – November 13. The opening reception is Sunday, August 18, 12 noon – 2:00pm. Food and drink will be available – especially if Ramblers kick in to help Emily organize treats and beverages for the reception! If you can volunteer to help, let Emily know at this email address: egenecarr@me.com

Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services is developing a Master Plan and wants your input! In this quick survey, they want to hear your preferences related to the facilities, programs, and activities managed by Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services. Take the survey here.

The Oconee River Land Trust will hold a herpetology hike on August 24, 2024, from 9:00 a.m –1:00 p.m. for members of the Land Trust. You can join and register for the hike on their website.

Interesting article in the Smithsonian Magazine: Botanists Vote to Remove Racial Slur From Hundreds of Plant Species Names.

Today’s reading: Heather read “The Peace of Wild Things” by poet Wendell Berry.

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Today’s route: We walked through the Children’s Garden vegetable beds, stopped at the ponds, and then headed to the Visitor Center plaza fountain. From there, we walked through the Herb & Physic Garden and the Heritage Garden, ending at the Sorghum plantings where the cool weather encouraged us to hang out for a while discussing plants and books.

Today’s observations:
Heather opened our hydrophobic exploration by explaining the three ways that water interacts with plant surfaces: “Stop, Drop, and Roll.”

Stop: the plant’s leaves simply get wet, the water staying on the leaves until it evaporates.
Drop: drops of water bead up and eventually drop off the leaves if there are enough of them.
Roll: drops of water immediately roll up into globes and roll off the plant, leaving the surface of the leaf dry. Many plants, especially in the tropics, have specialized “drip tips” on their leaves that help water roll off the leaf.

Both hydrophobic strategies – “dropping” and “rolling” – evolved to prevent water from accumulating on plant leaves. There are a multitude of reasons for plants to have developed hydrophobia:
–As drops form and roll off the leaves, they clean the leaves of dust, pollen
grains, and pollutants that block sunlight and limit photosynthesis.
–Dropping and rolling prevents water from blocking stomates, the pores that allow
leaves to take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
–Removing water quickly from a leaf inhibits the growth of mold and other pathogens.
–Dropping and rolling moves water off the leaf to the soil and roots before it evaporates.

Plants have evolved two types of hydrophobic leaf surfaces: waxy and hairy. A waxy coating on leaves and stems is deceptively smooth to the touch but it is actually minutely textured. The wax surface consists of microscopic towers that prevent water from sticking to the leaf surface and encourages the natural surface tension of the water to curl up on itself, forming a drop. Waxy leaf surfaces serve at least two functions: in aquatic habitats, the wax coating keeps water from sinking leaves; in dry areas, wax prevents water loss from inside the leaf.

The waxy surface eventually wears away on some plants’ leaves, causing older leaves to lose their hydrophobic properties.

Left, a young Tulip Tree leaf has a fresh waxy coating that promotes drop formation. Right, an older Tulip Tree leaf has lost much of its waxy coating and water spreads across its surface.

The hairs on some plants’ leaves work in much the same way: forming a rough texture that suspends water drops and encourages drop formation.

Aquatic plants such as lotus, water lilies, and Mosquito Fern are confronted with the constant threat of submersion or swamping by mud and have developed superhydrophobic leaves.

“Lotus leaves have become an icon for superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning surfaces, and have led to the concept of the ‘Lotus effect’. Although many other plants have super-hydrophobic surfaces with almost similar contact angles, the lotus shows better stability and perfection of its water repellency. (Ensikat et al. 2011. Superhydrophobicity in perfection: the outstanding properties of the lotus leaf. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology.)

In search of more hydrophobic plants, we visited the fountain in the DIG, the Discovery and Inspiration Garden, behind the Porcelain Museum. The fountain was empty but the frogs and toads were there anyway.

(Left to right) Fowler’s Toad, American Bullfrog, and Eastern Spadefoot Toad

Summary of Observations
Purple Basil Ocimum basilicum ‘Dark Opal’
Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
Parry’s Agave Agave parryi
Mexican Petunia Ruellia mexicana
Swamp Mallow Hibiscus moscheutos var. incana
Sunflower Helianthus sp.
Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera
Water Lily Nymphaea sp.
American Lotus Nelumbo lutea
Mosquito Fern Azolla caroliniana
Smooth Spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis
Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus
Fowler’s Toad Anaxyrus fowleri
American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus
Eastern Spadefoot Toad Scaphiopus holbrookii
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
Joro Spider Trichonephila clavata

Leader for today’s ramble: Linda Chafin

Authors of Today’s Report: Linda Chafin, Don Hunter

Today’s Emphasis: Seeking what we find, mostly pollinators, in the Visitor Center Plaza fountain and Heritage and Flower Gardens

The photos that appear in this report, unless otherwise credited, were taken by Don Hunter. Photos may be enlarged by clicking them with a mouse or tapping on your screen. Not all of Don’s photos from today’s ramble made it into the ramble report, so be sure to check out his Facebook album at this link.

Nature Ramble rainy day policy: We show up at 9:00am, rain or shine. If it’s raining, we will meet and socialize in the conservatory (bring your own coffee); if there is a break in the rain, we’ll go outside and do a little rambling.

Number of Ramblers today: 27

Ramblers at the Visitor Center Plaza fountain. Photo by Bill Sheehan

Announcements:
Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services is developing a Master Plan and wants your input! In this quick survey, they want to hear your preferences related to the facilities, programs, and activities managed by Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services. Take the survey here.

Ramblers’ photos to be highlighted in a Botanical Garden art exhibit! Photographs taken by six nature photographers — Heather Lickliter Larkin, Don Hunter, Bill Sheehan, Sandy Shaull, Rosemary Woodel, and Diego Huet — five of whom are current or former Nature Ramblers, will be on display in the Visitor Center from August 18 to November 13. In Heather’s words: “I wanted to show off the beauty of the tiny things…All of the subjects in the images are less than four inches tall or wide and invite people to appreciate the natural beauty of tiny bugs or other things they would normally walk right by.” Come to the opening reception on Sunday, August 18, 12noon to 2 pm. Food and drinks will be provided.

Avis recommended an episode of Georgia Outdoors, on Georgia Public Television, titled Beltline Arboretum, about the Atlanta Beltline’s series of unique pocket parks, each featuring a different aspect in the life of Atlanta’s trees.

Roger C. introduced his sister, Hilda, visiting from Alabama, and announced that he will reprise his talk “Before There Was a Botanical Garden,” about the land use history of the Botanical Garden, for an OLLI class on September 13 at 11:00 a.m., the Riverbend Building on College Station Road. You must join the OLLI program to register for this class at the OLLI website.

The Power of the Flower: Shape, Colour, Scent … and SEX! Click here.

Gary reminded us that this Saturday is the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and that Athens has its very own “moon tree” (which has its very own website here). The Moon Tree was just a seedling when it journeyed to the Moon and back, and now, as an adult Loblolly Pine, it lives at the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department, 120 West Dougherty Street.

Roger N. announced that the Oconee River Land Trust will hold a herpetology hike on August 24, 2024, from 9:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m. for members of the Land Trust. You can join and register for the hike on their website.

Chris mentioned a recent article in Emergence Magazine by Sam Lee, talking about the song of the Nightingale found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Sam is the author of “The Nightingale,” and a prize-winning English folk singer. Ramblers took the opportunity to brag about our own version of the nightingale, the Wood Thrush, which has been treating us to its lovely songs all summer (listen here). It is sometimes called the American Nightingale. If you’re like me and have never heard the European Nightgale, listen here. It doesn’t hold a candle to the Wood Thrush, just saying. Also, congratulations to Chris on his recent installation as the newest member of the Sandy Creek Nature Center Board of Directors!

Show and Tell: Roger N. showed us a Post Oak leaf and pointed out several small holes in the leaf resulting from insect activity in the trees. Oaks in the white oak group, including Post Oak, are host to hundreds of caterpillars, which provide critical protein to birds. He said that everyone, where possible, should have large native trees in their yards to provide habitat for all critters. This leaf was on the ground — trees are beginning to drop leaves as the weeks of drought stretched out. Hopefully, this week’s rain will slow and reverse this process.

Today’s Reading: Linda read a poem, “From Blossoms,” by Li-Young Lee.

From blossoms come
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches.

From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

Speaking of peaches, Chris added that the Athens branch of the Atlanta-based Concrete Jungle has a pick-and-share program where locally grown fruit and produce are picked and shared with those in need in the area. From their website: “Concrete Jungle Athens works closely with local farmers to glean produce throughout the growing season. We are deeply rooted in our community and depend on our wide volunteer base for regular weekly fruit picks, farm and orchard gleaning, grocery store food rescues, and farmers market produce collections.” For more information on Concrete Jungle and its programs, click here.

Today’s Route: From the Children’s Garden arbor, we headed to the Visitor Center plaza fountain. From there, we went through the Visitor Center and made our way through the Herb and Physic Gardens before following the walkway past the Pawpaw patch and across the wooden bridge into the Heritage Garden. There, we took the steps down into the Flower Garden. We wandered along the paths to the lower Flower Garden, and eventually headed up the steps on the far side, coming back into the Heritage Garden and thence to the Visitor Center where cold drinks were available.

Today’s Observations:

The fountain pool in the Visitor Center plaza supports a population of the floating, aquatic Eastern Mosquito Fern, common throughout the southeast and south into the tropics. In Georgia, it is found only in freshwater Coastal Plain wetlands and ponds. Its lacy leaves (below) come and go from year to year in the fountain pool and, this year, the tiny fronds are few in number. Whether this is a natural boom-and-bust cycle or is due to maintenance, I don’t know – it spreads rapidly by division and forms dense mats so occasional thinning may be required in such a small space. The floating leaves can form layered mats up to 4 cm thick, giving rise to the myth that they are thick enough to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs in the water. Actually, mosquitoes can deposit eggs through the mat but the resulting larvae are prevented from reaching the water surface and die of suffocation.

Asian species of Mosquito Fern are the only ferns of major economic importance. For at least 1500 years, it has been used in rice paddies as a free “green manure.” Tiny pits on the stems and upper leaf surfaces hold a cyanobacterium called Anabena that “fixes” nitrogen (i.e. converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form that is usable by plants). The fern uses some of the nitrogen for its own growth, then when it dies and decomposes, it releases nitrogen to the soil that can be used by other plants, such as rice. Rice farmers also turn the nitrogen-rich mats into the soil when they drain their paddies. Ducks in the paddies eat the ferns then release their nitrogen-rich feces into the paddies. Mosquito Fern mats in south Asian rice paddies have been shown to produce as much as 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre. The dense mats also prevent competition from weeds.

I’m not sure which species this Spider-lily is but it is in the same genus, Hymenocallis, as the very rare and endangered Shoals Spider-lily, as well as the common Woodland Spider-lily which grows in moist forests and floodplains. Spider-lilies’ spectacularly beautiful flowers are unusual in having a “corona,” a membranous cup fused to the six stamens. (Hymenocallis literally means “beautiful membrane.”) The six long “spider legs” radiating from the base of the flower are three petals and three look-alike sepals. The flowers open in the afternoon and persist through the night and following morning, after which they begin to wither. They are pollinated by butterflies and bees during the day and by moths at night. If insect pollination has not occurred by the time a flower withers, self-pollination may occur as the collapsing flower brings stigma and stamens into contact. Despite the name, Spider-lilies are not true lilies but are in the Amaryllis Family.

Blackberry-lily is planted in the vicinity of the Physic Garden. It’s a native of East Asia but occasionally shows up around Athens, mostly at Rock and Shoals granite outcrop and in other dry woodlands. Like the Spider-lilies, these are not lilies at all, but, in this case, are irises. A quick look at the leaf arrangement confirms that; the leaves are “equitant,” overlapping and flattened at their bases, forming a fan shape that is characteristic of irises. Lily Family plants have leaves that may be alternate, opposite, or whorled, but they are never flattened into a fan shape. The name Blackberry-lily comes from the fact that the seed clusters are black and shiny.

Just past the Pawpaw patch, we found a planting of Autumn Fern, an Asian species that is starting to pop up in natural areas. A rambler pointed out that just last year Southern Living Magazine placed Autumn Fern at the top of a list of invasive fern species in the southeast. I’m glad to see Autumn Fern getting some bad press. It has the potential to become much more invasive than it is now – the number of sori, packed with sporangia (right), on the lower leaf surfaces is pretty scary!

Sorghum (below), a grass native to Africa, is a great species from which to learn about grass flowers because its reproductive parts are large and conspicuous. The dangling stamens, with their thread-like filaments and pollen-laden anthers, ensure that every passing breeze picks up some pollen. The female flowers consist of brush-like styles that comb pollen out of the air plus a plump ovary, which is the developing fruit (aka kernel or grain). The fruits are tipped with a twisted spike that catches in animal fur and also holds the seeds in place once they find their way to the ground.

While we were intently studying the Sorghum flowers, someone spotted a regal Red-tailed Hawk perched atop the gazebo. While we watched, a small group of Titmice began to harass the hawk, who maintained its imperturbable pose, even when a titmouse smacked its head! Photo above by Heather Larkin, photos below by Don.

The Lantanas in the Flower Garden, below, were swarming with butterflies, particularly skippers. Dun Skipper, below left, Fiery Skipper, right.

Why are some Lantana flowers yellow while others are orange and some pink? This article, “Flower Colour Changes in Lantana camara,” explains that Lantana flowers change from pink buds to yellow newly opened flowers then to orange, red, and magenta aging flowers. The trigger for color change is pollination. In the authors’ experiments, “Even the presence of one pollen grain on the stigma of a yellow flower was sufficient to cause colour change.” The yellow flowers are pigmented with carotenoids; after pollination, the carotenoids are masked by the arrival of anthocyanin, the plant pigment responsible for pinks, orange-reds, reds, and purples in plants. Butterflies and skippers are attracted to yellow flowers; it’s in the best interest of both the insect and the plant to discourage visits to flowers that are already pollinated.

The Zinnia bed near the All-American Selections Garden was buzzing with pollinators.

Gulf Fritillary (left) and Spicebush Swallowtail (right)

Horace’s Duskywing (left) and Western Honey Bee (right)

Long-tailed Skipper (left) and Painted Lady (right), Both photos by Heather Larkin

Dale illuminated the life cycle of the Sumac Gall Aphids in the Ramble Report of August 2, 2022. “In the spring, as the Sumac is producing leaves, it is visited by a female aphid that lays a single egg, usually on the mid-vein. The plant reacts by enveloping the egg with a growth of tissue that begins as a small, spherical swelling. The egg hatches and the aphid nymph begins feeding by sucking plant juices. When the nymph becomes sexually mature it starts to produce more aphids parthenogenetically; i.e., without benefit of a male. Those aphids, in turn, produce more aphids and the number within a single gall grows exponentially. Ultimately the aphids exit the gall [leaving behind cast-off exoskeletons and waxy secretions] and migrate to mosses that may be growing nearby. There they over-winter and in the spring male and female aphids are produced, mate, and the females fly off to find sumac, completing the life cycle.”

SUMMARY OF OBSERVED AND DISCUSSED SPECIES

Post Oak Quercus stellata
Clustered Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum
Common Eastern Bumble Bee Bombus impatiens
Red-banded Leafhopper Graphocephala coccinea
Versute Sharpshooter Leafhopper Graphocephala versuta
Eastern Mosquito Fern Azolla caroliniana
Spider-lily Hymenocallis sp.
Pitcherplants hybrids Sarracenia spp.
Purple Pitcherplant Sarracenia purpurea
Yellow Trumpets Sarracenia flava
Blue Dasher Dragonfly Pachydiplax longipennis
Blackberry-lily Iris domestica, synonym Belamcanda chinensis
Tall Pawpaw Asimina triloba
Autumn Fern Dryopteris erythrosora
Zinnia Zinnia elegans, numerous cultivars
American Bumble Bee Bombus pensylvanicus
Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus
Cloudless Sulphur butterfly Phoebis sennae
Sorghum Sorghum bicolor
Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
Flowering Crabappl e Malus baccata
Lantana Lantana camara
Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris
Horace’s Duskywing Skipper Erynnis horatius
Wild Indigo ‘Royal Candles’ Baptisia australis x B. tinctoria
Genista Broom Moth (caterpillar) Uresiphita reversalis
Perilla Mint Perilla frutescens
Burnweed Erechtites hieracifolia
Lindheimer’s Bee-blossom Oenothera lindheimeri, synonym Gaura lindheimeri
Stilt Bug Jalysus sp.
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae
Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus
Spicebush Swallowtail Papilio troilus
Cabbage Whit e Pieris rapae
Lemmon’s/Mexican Marigold Tagetes lemmonii
Swamp Mallow Hibiscus moscheutos
Hibiscus Scentless Plant Bug Niesthrea louisianica
Red-headed Bush Cricket Phyllopalphus pulchellus
Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra
Sumac Gall Aphid Melaphis rhois
Christmas Fern Polystichum acrostichoides
Indian Shot Canna Canna indica
Carolina Anole Anolis carolinensis
Scarlet Beebalm Monarda didyma

Leader for today’s Ramble: Kathy Stege

Authors of today’s Ramble report: Linda Chafin, Don Hunter

The photos that appear in this report, unless otherwise credited, were taken by Don Hunter. Photos may be enlarged by clicking them with a mouse or tapping on your screen. Not all of Don’s photos from today’s ramble made it into the ramble report, so be sure to check out his Facebook album at this link.

Nature Ramble rainy day policy: We show up at 9:00am, rain or shine. If it’s raining, we will meet and socialize in the conservatory (bring your own coffee); if there is a break in the rain, we’ll go outside and do a little rambling.

Number of Ramblers today: 31

Today’s emphasis: Soils and roots in the Georgia Piedmont

Announcements:
Andrea Fischer, Volunteer Coordinator for the Botanical Garden, asked Ramblers to volunteer their expertise at the welcome desk in the Visitor Center. With Ramblers’ extensive familiarity with all areas of the Garden, she knows we would be good candidates to fill this need. She’s not looking for a long term commitment, but will contact willing volunteers as needed to fill shifts for regularly scheduled volunteers who can’t make their shifts. Contact Andrea at afischer@uga.edu or let Linda know if you are interested.

Interesting articles:
“Is it too late to save the southern grasslands?” A nice piece by Margaret Renkl.
Another reason to save the Amazonian rain forests — chocolate!
Ferns and flowers bribe helpful ant defenders with nectar, but ferns developed this ability much later. Click here for more.

Show-and-tell:

Kathy brought roots of two species, Pokeberry (above) and Daikon Radish (below), both known as “sod busters” that break up hard-packed clay soils and nearly impenetrable soil layers known as “plow pans.” Roger C. shared that plow pans are created by repeated plowing at the same depth year after year with a bottom or turning plow, and added that it’s necessary to get out a subsoiler every decade or so to break up the plow pan. Unless they are broken up, hard pans will prevent rain from penetrating the depths of the soil, hasten moisture evaporation from the soil, limit soil aeration, and stunt roots. Like most of Clarke County, Kathy’s property was once in cotton agriculture. Over time, both Pokeberry’s and Daikon’s roots break up compacted soil and plow pans and also increase the carbon content of the soil. Kathy has found, through experimentation with both, that Pokeberry roots do a much better job than the radish. She even “torments” her plants to encourage them to develop larger tap roots and lateral roots of varying sizes. Daikon Radish, on the other hand, had much shorter underground parts (the pale pink section) and compacted growth layers near the tip from difficulty penetrating the soil.

Today’s Reading: Kathy read from “The Revolutionary Genius of Plants, A New Understanding of Plant Intelligence and Behavior” by Stefano Mancusco.

From p. 77 - “[The root system] is a physical network whose apexes form a continuously advancing front; a front composed of innumerable tiny command centers, each of which supplements the information gathered during the development of the root and decides the direction of growth. Thus the entire root system guides the plant like a sort of collective brain, or better still, a distributed intelligence on a surface that can be huge. While it grows and develops, each root acquires information essential to the nutrition and survival of the plant. This advancing front can reach a really impressive size. A single rye plant is capable of developing hundreds of millions of root apexes. This is an extraordinary fact, yet negligible when compared to the root system of an adult tree. We do not have reliable data about the roots of trees, but certainly we are talking about several billion roots. We know that there can be more than a thousand root apexes in a single cubic centimeter of forest soil, but we do not have any realistic estimates of how many root apexes an adult tree might have in its natural environment.”

From p. 80 – “A few years ago, my colleague Frantisek Baluska, decided to study roots as a collective organism, seeing them as being like a flock of birds or a colony of ants. This approach proved to be very effective, confirming that the structure of a plant’s root system and the way it explores the terrain and uses resources can be described with great precision using swarm behavior patterns, such as those used in the study of social insects. Navigating along a tiny gradient is an almost impossible task for a single ant; any local variation in the gradient would cause it to get lost without the possibility of finding its way back. In contrast, by acting collectively, a colony can easily overcome this obstacle because it operates like a large integrated matrix of sensors that continuously processes the information received from the environment.”

Kathy shared how moved she was, while preparing for today’s Nature Ramble, by the concept of roots as sentient structures, taking on the task of providing nutrition, as well as providing structural support, for the trees. She briefly addressed the concept of communication between trees, and stressed that the most important factor controlling tree growth and root development is the role of mycorrhizae, extensive networks of fungal “roots” that distribute nutrients and information between trees, among other tasks. Mycorrhizae may even be responsible for monitoring the health of individual trees and deciding, if one is found to be dying, to cut off that tree’s lifeline in order to direct nutrients where they would be the most beneficial.

Today’s Route: We took the paved path through the Lower Shade Garden to the trail that ends at the Orange Trail Spur and out into the right-of-way. We made our way to the river overlook at the south end of the ADA path and returned to the Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum for some air-conditioned socializing and a fabulous array of snacks, provided by Kathy.

Today’s Observations:
Kathy introduced today’s topic by sharing her experiments with permaculture and native plants in her garden, near Sandy Creek Park. She became interested in soils as a result of her efforts to improve the soil on her property. Compared to many areas in the Botanical Garden that have good quality soils, her property has all the ills familiar to Piedmont gardeners: heavy clay subsoil from which the top soil has long since washed to the rivers and the Atlantic Ocean; a plow layer hardpan; and low fertility.

Jason Young, the Garden’s Director of Horticulture says, “We have 2 different ‘bins’ for woody material and herbaceous material—one is a dump truck and the other a dump trailer. We move that material to the Bioconversion Center on a weekly basis. We receive materials back from the facility also. In the spring and fall, we bring in numerous dump truck loads of compost and mulch to amend beds and cover bare ground, respectively.”

“The organic duff and litter layers play critical physical, chemical, and microbiological roles in forest ecosystems… Duff contains many ectomycorrhizal fungi that have symbiotic relationships with tree and shrub roots; these partnerships aid in the uptake of water and certain nutrients and may protect the surrounding soil structure and protect against other soil-borne organisms…Duff and litter protect the soil from erosion and compaction and form a mulch for maintaining soil moisture… The forest floor is critical for nutrient cycling…and many nutrients—including nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium—are stored for release during decay or burning of duff and litter… Duff and litter are also important for carbon sequestration. Chojnacky, Amacher, and Gavazzi. 2009. Separating Duff and Litter for Improved Mass and Carbon Estimates. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 33(1):29-34.

There are two common misconceptions about tree roots: first, that all trees have deep tap roots, and, second, that the root system of a tree is a mirror image of its crown. In fact, few trees have tap roots once they grow out of the seedling stage. Lateral roots provide all the necessary support and access to moisture and nutrients that are not available deep in the subsoil. Tree root systems do not reflect the shape of their crowns. A better image is that of a wine glass resting on a plate, with the plate representing the depth and extent of the roots. Root systems are believed to be about 50% wider than the crown.

Kathy dug up the roots of a Yellow Crownbeard growing in the floodplain (left) and compared them with the roots of the same species dug from her property (right).

The Ramble ended at the Middle Oconee River, which is showing signs of the severe weather we’ve had for the last six weeks, at least. According to the National Weather Service, there were 2.09 inches or rain in Athens in June, when the average is 4.9 inches for June. The average temperature in June was 79.4 degrees, compared with the 1991-2020 average of 77.7 degrees. In July, we’ve had about 1.5 inches of rain, with none since July 8. The average rainfall for July, 1991-2020, was 4.2 inches. This week is forecast to bring some relief!

At this point, Ramblers made their way to the Porcelain Museum, where Kathy had laid out an amazing spread of breakfast, brunch, and lunch goodies. Never short of something to talk about, we gathered around tables, eating and socializing for the next hour. Many thanks to the Botanical Garden for making this space available to the Ramblers during this hot weather!

Post-Ramble Observations:

SUMMARY OF OBSERVED SPECIES
Yellow Crownbeard Verbesina occidentalis
Genista Broom Moth (caterpillar) Uresiphita reversalis
Wild Indigo Baptisia sp.
Two-spotted Longhorn Bee Melissodes bimaculatus
Pink Tropical Sage Salvia coccinea cultivar
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly Papilio glaucus
Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus parviflora
Castor Bean Ricinus communis

Leaders for today’s Ramble: Dr. Jim Porter and Dr. Karen Porter

Authors of today’s Ramble report: Jim Porter, Linda Chafin

The photos that appear in this report, unless otherwise credited, were taken by Don Hunter. Photos may be enlarged by clicking them with a mouse or tapping on your screen.

Coral reefs are in the news: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/24/science/coral-reef-trafficking-aquariums.html

Note from Linda: Today’s Ramble was held at UGA’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, in the Richard Russell Special Collections Library, and featured a tour led by Dr. Jim Porter, world-renowned coral reef expert, and his wife and research partner, Dr. Karen Porter, of their exhibit “Sunken Treasure: The Art & Science of Coral Reefs.” The exhibit explores the history of coral and coral reefs through a display of coral specimens collected by the Porters during their fifty years of marine research as well as rare books collected by Jim Porter during this time. The manuscripts and books date back to the 1600s and include works by scientific luminaries Charles Darwin, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, Carl Linnaeus, Ernst Haeckel, and more.

From the exhibit website: “Corals reefs cover less than one percent of the surface of planet Earth but are home to nearly twenty-five percent of all marine species. They are productive ecosystems that support marine life, protect land from the damage posed by ocean waves and hurricanes, and provide food and income for half a billion people.” The exhibit will remain on display through Friday, July 5, 2024.

Ten short videos that provide supporting and background information to the exhibit can be viewed on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu9kdKOtZYp3wizN1Ydnfolv0osKHwbbT

Jim Porter (left) with a small sample of his voluminous library of coral books and manuscripts. Karen Porter (right) discussing historical uses of red coral.

Corals are composed of hundreds of thousands of microscopic animals called coral polyps that live together in a mutually beneficial relationship with each other and with photosynthetic algal cells. “The coral provides the [algae] with a protected environment and compounds they need for photosynthesis. In return, the [algae] produce oxygen and help the coral to remove wastes. Most importantly, [algae] supply the coral with glucose, glycerol, and amino acids, which are the products of photosynthesis. The coral uses these products to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and produce calcium carbonate. The relationship between the [algae] and coral polyps facilitates a tight recycling of nutrients in nutrient-poor tropical waters. In fact, as much as 90% of the organic material photosynthetically produced by the [algae] is transferred to the host coral tissue. This is the driving force behind the growth and productivity of coral reefs” (NOAA, National Ocean Service). UGA Special Collections Libraries video What is Coral? can be viewed here.

Jim Porter conducts a tour of his book and coral collection for the Nature Ramblers at the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Gallery.

Map of global distribution of major groups of atolls and coral reefs known at that time serves as the frontispiece to Darwin’s On the Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs (photo credit, Wikipedia)

These plates are from Haeckel’s 1875 Reef Corals of the Arabian Sea.

Indo-Pacific lettuce coral (close-up, right) – one of many gorgeous shapes of corals.