Buckthorn Wild

I was working in Wingham the past two days and came across a shrub that I don't see too often.  Situated in saturated mucky organics, this patch of Alder-leaved Buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia) was a pleasant find.  This species of buckthorn is native to Ontario; it grows about knee-high and can be found in wetlands, roadside ditches or hydrocuts, usually in a dense monoculture like the one in the picture below.  I could see a patch of Cottongrass (Eriophorum spp.) off in the pasture in the background but couldn't get to it for a definitive ID.

The leaves of Alder-leaved Buckthorn, I find they have a lime tinge to them and are most similar to New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) (also in the family Rhamnacea but on the opposite end of the moisture spectrum).

Also present was the aggressive and widespread European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica).  My fondest memories of this species involve stalling a drip torch an extra second over one, coating cut stems with Garlon or running the brush through a chipper.  How does the saying go?  If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all.

Another non-native buckthorn (I had all 3 growing within 10m of one another), this is Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus).  You'll find this species often at the fringes of swamps, kind of at that upland-wetland transition.  Like Alder-leaved, the leaves are lime-coloured, but the margins are smooth and the venation fairly distinct.  Where the bark of young European Buckthorn is kind of silvery and dark, that of Glossy Buckthorn is a lighter gray and faintly speckled.

Another non-native species that seems to be doing well in lawns and along roadsides in the Wingham area, English Daisy (Bellis perrenis).  A co-worker grabbed a handful and told me she used to make crowns by perforating the stem and stringing the flowers together.