2016 Tallgrass Ontario AGM: Ojibway Prairie

I've been helping to organize the Tallgrass Ontario Annual General Meeting over the last couple of months.  It will be held on June 25 at the Ojibway Nature Centre in Windsor.  While the AGM is free to members of Tallgrass Ontario, non-members are welcome to attend for a small fee to help cover catering/event costs.  If you're interested in attending just let me know.

The day will start with the typical AGM items, a couple of short presentations and a catered lunch.  After lunch we'll head out for a hike-tour of the good stuff!

I found an old USB in my desk today and came across some photos I took from the Ojibway Prairie Complex in August 2012.  While the month of June has it's limitations in terms of not quite being at 'full effect' bloom period in a southern Ontario prairie, this place always delivers somethig for the naturalist crowd.

The recurved leaves of Riddell's Goldenrod (Solidago riddellii) peel back from the stem making this goldenrod easy to spot even in the absence of flowers.  

Some moist, sandy areas of the prairie contain the rare Colicroot (Aletris farinosa).  This species is threatened both provincially and nationally.  It's basal leaves look kind of like a bromeliad (it's actually a member of the Lily family) with one or several flowering stalks extending to about knee to waist-height.  It is found in a handful of locations in Windsor as well as other parts of the Carolinian Zone.

Another, albeit much taller plant, with white spikes, Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum).  I've always thought of the flowers as resembling Russian church spires, kind of like St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

While out and about I often come across Tall Hairy Agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala).  In Windsor, Many-flowered Agrimony (Agrimonia parviflora) with it's narrower and sharper-looking leaves is rather common.

I lack any moth ID resources, but from what I can find online this is an Orange-striped Oakworm (Anisota senatoria), feeding on Tick-trefoil (it's host plant is predominantly oak trees).  The similar-looking Hornless Oakworm (A. finlaysonii) is known from a location near Shannonville.

Some areas of the Complex have dense stands of Dense Blazingstar (Liatris spicata).  Insects love it, deer love it, photographers love it. 

The petals of Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense) nearly connect at the base of the flower.  The flower of Wood Lily (L. philadelphicum) is 'lava red' and has more of a conical form with the petals more straight out.  Ontario has one other (very rare) native lily, Canada Lily (L. canadense) which is known from Niagara I believe; one for the wish list.

Gray-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) adds to the yellow of Coreposis, Rudbeckia, Helianthus and Solidago.  The dried seed heads emit an anise scent when crushed.

If you rack your eyes to spot a dense stem of ascending leaves you might stumble across Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella).  There are a handful of plants in the Ojibway Complex.  I posted some photos of a flowering plant back in October. 

The False Foxgloves (all 3) are currently being assessed by COSEWIC.  With the abundance of Black Oak savannah present, Smooth False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava) can be found growing within the root zone of it's host oak. 

Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corrolata), one of the 'good' spurges.  It's dainty white flowers can almost be overlooked at first glance (no surprise when surrounded by a blazing palette of  purple, yellow, orange, pink...)

I've always liked this photo not for the Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) in the foreground, but for the black marking on the base of the oak brought about by a recent prescribed burn.  

Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris) is reeeeaaally tall.  Maybe not as tall as some of the towering Silphium species (2 of which are present in the area), but still one of the taller herbaceous plants on the landscape.

And it can be hard to pick up on everything the first time around.  With your eyes to the sky, shin-high plants like this Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) are tough to spot.  When not in bloom, this species jumps out about as much as a couple of blades of grass!