On Top of Spaghetti

A few months ago I mentioned that we were figuring out where to set study sites for a new project; last week we started setting up the actual plots. This process includes measuring a 5 X 5 meter area, putting PCV stakes into the ground at the corners, and running string (or in this case very strong flagging tape) between the posts. Since we will be working at night, we also put reflective tape on each corner and took a GPS point to help us find it later.

We have 20 sites with 3 to 4 plots at each site. Needless to say this get tiring very quickly, even without considering the incredibly steep terrain.

By now I am sure you are really wondering about the title, when you are doing something this physically intense for several hours on end, things start to get a little strange. We were in the middle of stringing a plot and we were at opposite ends. It was very steep, so my field partner suggested I toss the roll of flagging rather than walk it over. Since we were both quite tired it seemed like a good idea...but I didn't throw it far enough and it proceeded to completely unroll all the way down the hill. We actually found the core at the car later. This (obviously) reminded us of the children's song "On top of spaghetti", which we proceeded to sing (both impressed with our ability to remember most of the song...up to mush under a bush). And now, we refer to flagging tape as 'meatballs' and any thing rolling down the hill as 'meatballing'. :) We have several other new meanings for words which you can look at here: Dictionary of Exhausted Minds on Fieldwork. I will continue to update as shenanigans continue throughout the summer.

We are just hoping this rock doesn't fall on us during a survey.
There are multiple huge tree roots in it, probably breaking it apart.
No big deal...we will be fine...probably.

One of the benefits of going out during the day is that we notice a lot more of the plants. This time of year, many are starting to bloom. Here is an abbreviated guide to some plants currently blooming in Southern Appalachia. As the season goes on I may start repeating fun flowers from last year; great news for new readers; for continued followers, I don't get tired of them and I hope you don't either. =]

Large white trillium (Trillium
grandiflorum)

Lousewort (Pedicularis
 canadensis)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria
canadensis)

Catesby's Trillium (Trillium catesbaei)

Pipevine (Aristolochia)
Looking forward to seeing this grow!

 Flame azalea (Rhododendron
calendulaceum)

Bluet (Houstonia caerulea)

Painted Trillium (Trillium
undulatum)

Turkey tails (Trametes versicolor)
Technically a fungi, but pretty!

Showy Orchid (Galearis spectabilis)

Early Meadow Rue (I think), these flowers looked like tassels!

Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus)
These leaves smell awesome

Another Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) with dramatic lighting/perspective. I just really like this picture. :)

One of the more exciting finds of the past week were Pink lady slippers. I had heard of them, and new they grew in the mountains, but I had no idea they were so huge!!

To give some perspective on abundance and size

 

The leaf comes up first for Cranefly orchids, then dies back and the flower comes up later. I saw some blooming last year. Typically the leaves are green on the surface and purple underneath (pictured below), but we also found this unusually colorful one!

When walking to some of the study sites, we found a bunch of these slightly squishy, green balls on the ground and proceeded to pull them apart to see what was inside. The inside was sort of soft and looked fuzzy. All of them had a tiny worm in the middle! 

In a different area, we found this older gall, that was perfectly spherical. The outside was hard and smooth, inside it felt like stiff styrofoam. At the very center was this tiny wasp (?)!

Another mysterious discovery:

I don't know what this is exactly but I suspect it is a virus or fungal infection. Plants frequently have defense mechanisms to essentially quarantine off and infected area from the rest of the plant. I suspect that is what is occurring here, but why it is bright pink remains a mystery. 

Continuing with mysteries, we think these might be snail eggs. They seemed a little large but there are some very large snails here, so maybe...

We have two spider nests hatched on our plots. So many tiny spiders!!!

Another benefit of going out during the day is seeing some of the diurnal creatures. When exploring a little on Thursday, we startled a bird from its nest. I didn't get a good look at the bird, but the nest had 4 eggs and was in some moss on a rock right next to the road.

Speaking of eggs, Seepage salamanders (Desmognathus aneus), nest this time of year in thick moss near seeps (hence the name). They are one of the smaller species of salamander in Appalachia so their nests and eggs are equally tiny.

This small Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) made its head look wider, trying to fool us into thinking it was a viper. I had never seen a Garter Snake do that before, though I know rat and corn snakes are known for this behavior.

We came across this cute little Ocoee salamander (Desmognathus ocoee) that could not apparently close her mouth. Her tongue was sticking out! We wondered if she got stung trying to eat something.

You can see the eggs through her underside.

Even though we have seen some fun things by being out during the day, I still rather enjoy going out at night. There are so many things you miss if you only go out during the day. We started sampling our study sites this week and found some fun creatures. One of the more entertaining encounters included a very fluffy skunk. No, we did not get sprayed, but if you have never seen a skunk run, it is worth the risk. We were driving down one of the Forest Service roads (which are not really paved) and noticed something white and fluffy running down the road in front of us. We seriously thought it was a small dog the way it was bounding down the road with its hair flopping about. Then we managed to see the stripes and realized it was a skunk. It was incredibly cute and acted as an influx of energy for the night.

This past week, we came across several small snakes including the Ringneck snake below.

Ringneck snake (Diadophus punctatus)

And of course, we found some salamanders. We have seen relatively few this past week because it has not been raining, but it started raining in patches the past couple of days so we should see more activity moving forward. Salamander activity is limited by water loss, so they are less likely to be active on dry nights.

Red legged salamander (Plethodon shermani) with very pale cheeks

Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamander on a branch

Tiny Plethodon salamander 

Pretty orange cheeks on this Ocoee salamander

Very pale Red Legged Salamander 

Awesome gold flecks on this Plethodon hybrid! 

Especially during long, exhausting days, every now and again, I try to take a step back and enjoy the gorgeous view. I really do get to work in a gorgeous place (as if you were not already convinced of this from all of the flowers and salamanders...)!