Return to the Streams

In early July, we surveyed streams for stream salamanders and their larvae. While we were there I ran across some fascinating fungi:

This one was small and orange on a log. Note the tiny hairs on the edges!

This one was not only bright, it has an intriguing texture.
It almost looked like a bunch of tiny cylinders all bunched together. 

July is also prime time for many wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians:

I think the first two are bergamot, though the purple one was a particularly fun find. The one on the right is Scarlet Beebalm. All of the plants are in the same genera, which is why they have very similar leaf and flower shapes. There was an entire hill-slope covered in the Scarlet Beebalm and Appalachian dodder (the orange plant that looks like silly string in the pictures below).

Turk's Cap Lilies also dotted the roadsides. 

As for salamanders, we saw many of the large Desmognathus shown below (on the left). These salamanders dominate the streams in the Appalachian mountains. The more unusual find (in our study streams at least) was the spring salamander larvae (on the right). They can appear almost light purple when they are young (mentioned in Wandering in the water), as seen in the image below.

Stay tuned for more!