In my previous report, I told about photographing a perched Osprey at Parsons
Pond Saturday morning. I had meant to circle the pond clockwise that morning
because that route would get me to good mud quicker and the overcast conditions
would negate the back light problems for that as a morning route. Seeing the
Osprey led me to chose the counterclockwise route instead. Crossing through the
narrow strip of woods at the south end, I came up on some wildflowers unlike
anything I’ve ever seen and may not have seen Saturday had I circled clockwise.
Took photos. Posted them on iNaturalist where the top suggested species was
Virginia Waterleaf. Began to wonder about my species choice when the map for
that species was blank for my region. Cross posted to Facebook KY Native Plant
Group, where my species choice was confirmed and an Austin Peay State
University botanist, who I have previously shown good plant finds, wanted to
know how soon he could come up and get a herbarium specimen. It seems the
population I found is disjunct from any other known colony of its kind by
several hundred miles.
My botanist friend came out Sunday afternoon. He was agog at the wildflower
patch. Also took him to a power line cut which he declared to be one of the
best native plant communities he had seen in southern KY. While we were there,
I heard a Barred Owl calling. My only good bird of the day. Didn’t even get the
scope out of the truck at Parsons Pond. No telling what could have been there
yesterday. I still mark Sunday down as a good day. Here’s a link to my
wildflower find.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/43410283 ;
<https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/43410283>
Frank Lyne
frank@xxxxxxxxxxx - near Dot in Logan County, KY
