What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Meadowview Finds in Surry, VA

Wire Man

Sphagnum Guru
We're turning up a lot of interesting, possible very rare finds in this new area that we have access to in Surry, VA. Last week we found red milkweed, a yet-to-be-identified dwarf golden sphagnum moss, and a black tiger beetle, possibly Cicindela abdominalis, which is very rare in this state. I'll post all of our findings on this thread as they come.
 
dwarf golden sphagnum moss.....

lordofthefiles_homer-drool.gif
 
We're planning on cultivating it, for that very reason. There was quite a bit of it. It's so compact that it doesn't look like sphagnum from a distance. We could use some help IDing it.
 
Hi Folks:

Very busy summer for us. The interns are in full immersion with the intern program and are doing some very solid, original, field work in southern Virginia. We have access to almost 3000 acres of hunt club land in Surry County, VA with specific permission to search for, and obtain specimens of, rare plants. No botanist has ever been on this property and we have already turned up at least five state rare plant species. The golden sphagnum is quite interesting and we should be posting some pictures soon.

Keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck finding a pitcher plant population. A small population of S. purpurea was reported on this watershed in the 1980's but has apparently been extirpated. We're hoping we can find one remaining population somewhere on this system. It's tough work with high heat, lots of ticks, and the swelling yellow jacket hives we'll soon run into.

Sincerely,

Phil Sheridan, Ph.D.
Director
Meadowview Biological
Research Station
 
Hi Phil, I've used a couple of repellants in extremely tick-infested areas before, you probably know of them already but: permethrin insect repellants for the clothes work a couple of weeks with washings, duranon works the same way and I used to use something called Tick Defender but can't seem to find it anywhere anymore... I use the clothing repellants on outer clothing & boots with Off on socks, boxer waist bands, hats & skin and I've gotten through some serious tick land with nothing. That combo & thermacel's work great for mosquitos too!
And you Know I want some of that Golden Spag!!
 
I like the sound of those repellents, especially after finding several in unwanted areas. More fieldwork on Friday, hopefully something good shows up.
We'll be milling the golden shag soon, maybe tomorrow. I'm working on editing the photos right now, so expect to see it soon.
 
Hi Quogue:

I have been aware of the 0.5% permethrin products as an excellent defense against ticks. However, we had a devil of a time finding Repel or Duranon. I called Gander Mountain today and they had Ultrathon (0.5% permethrin), we bought it, and our clothes are now treated. I liked the military system of insect defense which makes perfect sense. I did not see that the militarty document said permethrin was inactivated by the skin, although I have read elsewhere that skin oils do exactly that. However, I don't think I would want to put permethrin on my skin regardless.

Sincerely,

Phil Sheridan
Mreadowview
 
The permethrin worked amazingly today! Much fewer ticks on the clothing and skin. Somehow, one fell in my pants pocket. It died from the permethrin. I'm almost positive that the tiger beetle is Cicindela abdominalis, the eastern pine barrens tiger beetle. We managed to catch one, making closeup photos easier.

Sadly, it looks like all of the pitcher plants have been overgrown by competing woods.
 
  • #10
We're planning on cultivating it, for that very reason. There was quite a bit of it. It's so compact that it doesn't look like sphagnum from a distance. We could use some help IDing it.

No problem. Send me a gallon zip lock baggie full of it and I will ID it right up. :-))
 
  • #11
No problem. Send me a gallon zip lock baggie full of it and I will ID it right up. :-))

Me too! Lol
Looking forward to the pics!
 
  • #12
Hi Phil & Wireman, glad the Permethrin is working out for you guys! If you have trouble finding it again, try Amazon. I swear there's nothing you can't find there!! Although I do love going into Gander, place is great.
 
  • #13
Mosquito Coils are great too for area protection. You can get them anywhere that sells camping equipment. The most effective/economical reppellant for a non-windy, outdoor area (picnic tables, workstations?)
Off makes a version that's more expensive for the same thing, just use generic camping brands.

They are much Cheaper, but not as portable as Thermacells (which has the same active ingredient) and much cheaper than using Yardguard.

I camp in what happens to be mosquito/tick-infested areas so I've personally tried & tested a lot of methods for controlling mosquitos & ticks because I love camping at those spots in the Summer but I Hate the bugs!!!

Hope this all helps...
 
  • #15
You know.... Homer can only drool for so long. :)
 
  • #16
That looks like it. We've been finding a lot of Sphagnum lately. So far it looks like we have compactum, molle, rubellum, and possibly fusca. We'll know more once we get an authority or a better book of Sphagnum.
 
  • #18
Oh wow. That is crazy looking. Almost doesn't even look like sphagnum moss. Hope you get it into propagation.
 
  • #19
We thought it wasn't sphagnum either, but it definitely is. I milled some of it last week, so we should be propagating it soon.

We found Utricularia radiata in Surry yesterday, which is another county record!
 
Back
Top