Long Island Botanical Society newsletter

6 Pages·1996·0.39 MB·English

by  Long Island Botanical Society

LONG ISLAND
BOTANICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
Vol. 6, No. 2 Mar. - Apr. 1996
even the thinnest mounting pin could not be put into
Profile of Orland Blanchard:
the body ofthe insect. He put the beetle under a
Botanist/Entomologist stereoscope. Sure enough, it had a typical horseshoe
crab shape. “Its name is Limulodes - like Limulus,
for the crab.” he added.
In the basementofhis modest home, he opened a
Orland “Skip” Blanchcird grew up in the Berk-
cabinet and slid out a basswood box with a glass shires ofMassachusetts. As achild he was sur-
cover. Inside were immaculate rows ofbeetles - rounded by family members who were interested in
shiny caterpillar hunters thatreminded me ofrows of natural history. His dad made him a butterfly net of
brand new cars on a dealer’s lot. Each specimen cheese cloth, the first ofmany he would use.
was labelled with a tiny rectangular card suspended Blanchard caught on quickly. By sixth grade he
on apin thatpierced the elytra ofthe beetle. Along found himselfas ajunior staffmemberat aMassa-
with the scientific name, Blanchsird’s name, in tiny chusetts Audubon wildlife sanctuary. Interest in
printless than 1 millimeterhigh, appeared at the insects and herpetology carried from high school to
bottom ofeach card.
Clark University where he majored in biology.
He has over 25 insectcases filled mostly with From there he entered Cornell University and earned
beetles. He estimates over 10,000 in the collection a Ph.D. in botany. He also met his wifeJane while
representing countless hours ofcareful, painstaking
at Ithaca.
work. Collecting, relaxing, mounting, identifying,
After teaching stints at Earlham College and
labelling, and maintaining the collection which he
calls a “hobby”.
During the course ofourconversation, he men-
tioned a trip to a remnant woodland lot in Rockville
Centre slated to become a parking lot. “I turned
over a piece ofwood and found horseshoe crab
beetles.” He showed me a specimen. It was not
largerthan the period at the end ofthis sentence. It
was mounted on atriangular piece ofpaper because
Highlights
Profile of Orland Blanchard 7
In the field with Roy Latham 8
Horse-fly Weed 10
Checklist ofWildflowers 10
New Cranberry Bog Guide 11 Seaside Mallow {Kosteletzkyavirginica var. aquilonia,
Society News 11 averyrareplantinNewarYeolrakt,ivceoolfleKc.tebdlaonncchearidniiN)a,ssau County.
Programs 12 This specieshasnotbeenrecentlyobservedinNewYorkandis
consideredtobeextirpated.
LI. BotanicalSociety Mar. -Apr. 1996 Page 7
Blanchard,continuedfrompage7
out to be new to science. It was named Kosteletzkya
Purdue University, he is presently a professor of blanchardi. What is more amazing is that two tiny
biology atC.W. Post on Long Island. Although beetles were found inside the seeds. They too were
teaching graduate and undergraduate courses are his new to science! Both beetles were named honoring
bread and butter, he finds entomology “anice form Blanchard: Acanthoscetides blanchardi and
ofrecreation.” Acanthoscelides orlandi.
Two rooms ofhis home form the base ofopera- Orland Blanchard is adedicated scientist
tions. Lying on one table in his basement lab, I and teacher. Long Island is fortunate to have such a
found areport listing hundreds of moths he’d knowledgeable and interesting resource.
collected in the dwarfpine barrens in Westhampton.
Since 1984 he’s been assisting the Nature Conser- Thomas Alien Stock, Smithtown
vancy andNew York State Natural Heritage Pro-
gram by making insect and plant surveys in various
areas. He travels farand wide with his butterfly net
and collectingjars. He also attends meetings and
In the field
belongs to the Long Island Botanical Society, Torrey
Botanical Club, New York Flora Association, with Roy Latham, #3
Botanical Society ofAmerica, American Society of
Plant Taxonomy, and International Association of
PlantTaxonomists. Skip Blanchard is abusy man. Prologue. Historically, the Latham family of
Taking the opportunity to praise Long Island’s Orient maintained close ties with Gardiners Island.
varied biological habitats he noted, “Belonging to During the early 1800’s Roy Latham’s grandfather,
the Long Island Botanical Society has helped open Moses Austin Latham, transported horses to the
my eyes to the other side ofLong Island. It has island for the Gardiner family. Roy, as a young
dozens ofwonderful natural areas to explore.” teenager, first went to Gardiners Island during the
As I looked at the tiger beetles I asked how many 1890’s. Throughout his adult life Roy published
species occur on Long Island. “Fourteen,” he many papers on the natural history ofthe island,
quickly answered. I asked for the list. He immedi- including pioneering studies on Osprey nesting
ately listed twelve ofthe fourteen species on paper behavior. He frequently brought visiting scientists
in Latin, both genus and species name. I was (several from Europe) to the island and also led field
impressed. He looked up the other two, then gave trips there for the Torrey Botanical Club.
me a short natural history lesson about the plight of While recently looking through files at the
the tiger beetle on Long Island: “Their larve live in Southold Indian Museum, I came across the follow-
vertical holesjust below the surface ofsandy trails. ing account ofRoy’s trip with two younger brothers
Unfortunately, dirt and mountain bikes cause to Gardiners Island. Although the account is not
problems. One beetle is on the federal list ofendan- botanically oriented, it provides insight into the
gered insects.” depths ofRoy Latham’s natural history experiences.
He has adelightful sense ofhumor. Fve I thank Professor Walter Smith, President ofthe
heard his puns on a few field trips. When he showed Southold Indian Museum, forthe opportunity to
me Rich Cech’s list ofbutterflies in theNew York/ study Roy Latham’s unpublished papers.
Long Island area, he called it the Butterfly Cech
List.
Blanchard is a serious botonist as well. The
cotton or mallow plant family is one focus ofhis 2 July 1916. "Today we had an adventure that
attention. While in Mexico he collected some seeds will always be remembered as long as we live.
and plant material from an unidentified mallow. Harry, Frank and I started out in my motor boat,
This discovery turned out to be a triple play. He sent May, for Gardiner’s Island. Everything went well
the plant to a colleague in Texas. The plant turned until we reached the old fort on Gardiner’s Point,
L.L Botanical Society Mar. - Apr. 1996 Page 8
the north into deeperwater. JNearmidnight we were
Latham,continuedfrompage8
at the south entrance to Plum Gut, with the wind a
where we stopped and looked it over. Saw about 50 gale and the tide going like a race horse; we drifted
nests ofthe Common Terns on the beach, and one more to the east and finally the anchor caught on
Osprey nest on the old dock. more shallow waterjust offthe Plum Island light-
A southwest gale was working up as we discov- house. We blew the horn and rang the fog bell and
ered motor trouble caused by dirty gasoline. Leav- waved the lantern foraide in the very bad position,
ing the fort at two p.m. we decided to abandon the but we got no call.
trip to the Island owing to the gale, and instead A heavy squall was coming up fromthe north-
headed west plunging through the great rollers. We west. The tide turnedJust after midnight while we
were about to the middle ofGardiner’s Bay when were bouncing about like acork. The turn ofthe
the engine stopped. Taking offthe carburetor we tide pulled us off into deeper water again and we
saw that no gas was being pumped, although there were drifting rapidly toward the breakers on the
was plenty in the tank. We could do nothing with it, Plum Island bar. The water seemed exceptionally
and all being sick by the tossing ofthe boat we layed deep so close to the shore. At every flash oflighten-
down on the cabin floor with the unearthly feeling of ing we could see the breakers rolling high on the bar;
seasickness. I was the first to lose my lunch by dangerous looking rocks appeared here and there
going out to try and disconnect the gasoline pipe above the water. We were not over two boat lengths
where the trouble seemed to be; but I had to give it from the shore and every moment expected to be
up and lie down. Finally the other two were losing stove in on a rock. I knew as soon as the boat hit the
theirdinners. surfit was the last ofher, and was prepared to
Night was now coming on and the waves were abandon her at once. We unlashed the row boat and
reaching mountainous heights. The boat was I slung the cameraand collecting bag around my
drifting very slowly eastward, the cable ofthe shoulder.
anchornot being long enough. We hauled the row Just at that time the anchorcaught with the stem
boat on board and lashed herfast, lit a lamp and almost on shore. There we hung as one ofthe worst
crawled into the cabin for the night. Laterin the thunder squalls I ever saw came up and passed
evening we found that she was drifting fast toward directly overhead The rain came down in torrents, it
was the wildest ofwild nights. That was about two
a.m.
Later we drifted offand away, south again half
way back to the old fort at Gardiner’s Point. At day
light we were in a light rain with a moderate sea
running. Feeling better we cleaned out the gasoline
pipe and got the engine under way and reached
home about 8:30 a.m.”
Eric Lamont, Riverhead
Wildflower Lament
Soon afterthe ice age, wildflowers colonized
Long Island. They were there to line the footpaths
ofthe first Long Islanders and remained to border
the wagon roads ofEuropean arrivals, and flourished
even as these roads were paved. Lately, 10,000
years after their arrival, the policy ofreshouldering
ourroads with turfgrass and untimely mowings has
from Hehre(1977) "TheFloraofGardiners Island"
diminished theirnumbers and threatens several
species' survival. Jean Held, New York City
L.L Botanical Society Mar. - Apr. 1996 Page 9
Horsefly-Weed Checklist of Wildflowers
The small, yellow, papilionaceous (having a pea- of the South Fork
like flower) flowers are the size ofhorseflies. So are
the rattle box seeds. So are the leaflets ofclover-like
leaves. This plant was used as a homeopathic The South Fork Natural History Society hasjust
published a checklistofthe South Fork’s most
remedy for typhoid fever. Its asparagus-like shoots
are poisonous as is the mature plant. An 1818 book showy and conspicuous wildflowers likely to be
observed along edges ofroadsides and borders of
called Medical Botany mentions that it is “reputed to
poison browsing cattle.” woodlands. Thechecklist is appropriate foruse
It likes dry soil and will even favorburnt over throughout all ofLong Island. The following
fields. Its bushy green luxurience turnsjet black as information is provided foreach ofthe 150 species
it slowly dries at the end ofthe season. It was an included in the checklist: scientific name, common
name, family, native vs. introduced status, flowering
economical but unsuccessful substitute for indigo
period specific forthe South Fork, and bloom color
dByaep.tisTihaucsoimteiss cfarlolemdtfhaelsGereiendki,go",'bBaapptitziesiina"twihncitcohria. with uncommon colorforms noted. A short state-
means “to dye'\ It was an ingredient in colonial ink menton ethics is also provided.
To orderyourcopy,
recipes. It is a memberofthe legume family which ROADSIDE
please send $1 (foreach
means it contains bacteria in the roots which fixes WILDFLOWERS
free nitrogen. Fixing means that it forms nitrogen OFTHE SOUTH FORK checklist) and a self
compounds in its tissues. LONGISLAND,NEWYORK addressed, stamped #10
There is at leastone butterfly that seems to like it size envelope to: South
Fork Natural History
so much as to be named after it - the wild indigo
Society, P.O. Box
dusky wing... Eymnis baptisiae Forbes. That both
NATURE, Amagansett,
organisms share acommon scientific name suggests
the concept ofcoevolution. N.Y., 11930 (attention,
Carol Crasson).
Syrphidflies also love the pollen. Syrphidflies
look a bit like horseflies. I doubt that real horseflies
Also available from
evercame close to this plant. Baptisia lives as far
SOFO are checklists of
away as one can get from moist salt marshes where
Birds, Seashells, and
horseflies breed. &
Reptiles Amphibians
Other insects that live on Baptisia are the
ofthe South Fork.
leaflcutter bee ofthe genus Megachile. Bees ofthe
Please send an additional
genus Helictus are also closely associated with it.
Journal Entry, 22 March 1992: “Along atrail S0HUI1SHTOFROYRKSONCAITEUTRYAL $ch1ecfkolriseta,chanadddaidtdioananl
on the moraine in central Brookhaven,just east of POBOXNATUR(E51,«)AM20A7G-A70N4S4EH,NY11030 extra stamp or two.
the red, white, and blue pinnicle memorial to Long
Island’s Vietnam Veterans, I passed athree foot high
bulbous shrub halfgreen, halfblack. Its afro-style Nature Poetry
goes well with the landscape. Itjiggles when I brush
against it, the seed pods rattling a hello. The colo-
nists made ink from its blackjuice. I like its position Cone Poems: Acollection of 13 poems by Thomas
Allen Stock, celebrating the Long IslandPine Barrens.
- an intermediary between the stony path and the
pitch pine woodlands. It may have been false indigo Available free from the author: 1 1 Ingelore Court,
Smithtown, N.Y. 11787.
to the colonists working with dyes, but to me, any
plant that can be converted into ink is wonderful.” Winged: A book ofpoems by George Held, including
"The Sandplain Gerardia." 32 pages, staple bound, two-
Thomas Allen Stock, Smithtown
colorcover (cover artby Jean Held). Send $5 to George
Held, 285 West4th Street, New York, NY, 10014-2222.
LI. Botanical Society Mar. - Apr. 1996 Page 10
Society News New York State Museum in Albany (the first day of
the N.Y.S. Natural History Conference). Anyone
involved in growing native plants, on whatever
January & February Meetings scale, is welcome to attend.
For more information, contact Carol Southby
Due to the snow blizzard that dumped 24 inches (716/383-8168), or write to Andria Post, P.O. Box
on Long Island, the January meeting was cancelled 922, Bridgehampton, New York, 11932. Please
enclose a selfaddressed stamped envelope fora
and rescheduled for 12 March 1996.
Tom Stock recently interviewed Bob Laskowski reply. Membership information will be mailed in
the summer.
who told an interesting story concerning the
Hempstead Plains: Bob recalls observing, during the
1930’s, wagon tracks that broke the thick grassland L./. Nature Calendar
sod ofThe Plains; in these narrow tracks non-native, A Call For Contributions
weedy plants could be found, whereas the surround-
ing acres oftallgrass prairie consisted exclusively of Thomas Allen Stock ofSmithtown is assembling
thick, impenetrable sod dominated by native species. material for a calendarfocusing on Long Island
Skip Blanchard was mucking about ared maple natural events throughout the year. The 11 x 17
swamp nearRiverhead in early February and ob- format will include black and white photographs and
served skunk cabbage (Symplocarpusfoetidus) in notes from naturalists about weather, history,
full flower; spring can’t be too faroff. astronomy, birds, animal behavior, plants, people,
Eric Lament announced that Dr. Henry Moeller conservation tips, gardening, fishing, etc. The
(Dowling College) and his student Christopher calender will be printed on recycled paperwith soy
Williams have been conducting a floristic survey of based ink. Each date will have room tojotdown
Squires Pond in Hampton Bays. Several rarities personal observations.
have been reported butneed to be confirmed. Contributions can be sent to: Long IslandNature
Audrey Watson, anatural history illustrator from Calendar, c/oThomas Allen Stock, 11 Ingelore Court,
Mattituck, is documenting the flora with detailed Smithtown, N.Y., 11787-9998. Note the date and
illustrations. She has agreed to allow LIBS to print location ofnatural events that are likely to happen again
about the same time each year. Ifyour observation is
her botanical illustrations in future issues ofthe
included, you will be givencredit in the calender, anda
newsletter; her portfolio ofthe project was viewed
complimentary copy will be sent to you as an additional
by members at the February meeting and everyone thank you. The 1997 calender will appear in the fall of
marveled at the detail and high artistic quality. 1996. The deadline is 1 April 1996.
Previously, Audrey had been commissioned as a
natural history illustrator on the Galapagos Islands. Cranberry Bog Guide
Mindy Block will be teaching an adult education
course on Ecological Restoration at Suffolk Commu-
Suffolk County Parks Department has reprinted
nity College/Eastem Campus. Students will learn of
the 1973 interpretive guide to the Cranberry Bog
exotic species control and plant propagation tech-
niques; they will also learn how to plan and imple- Preserve and has dedicated it to the memory of
Joseph M. Beitel. Cranberry Bog Preserve, located
ment a school restoration project. For more infor-
just south ofRiverhead, has long been a meccafor
mation please call 516/360-0800.
students ofrare and unusual plant and animal life.
The 20 page illustrated booklet contains articles on
New Plant Societyfor New York
the area’s history, ecology, invertebrates, fish,
amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and flora.
Press Release; Announcing a new organization Included also are checklists ofplants and birds.
in New York State foreveryone interested in grow- Free copies are available from: Suffolk Co. Parks
ing wildflowers and other native plants. Ourfirst Dept., P.O. Box 144, West Sayville, N.Y., 11796,
meeting to launch this new plant society will be held attention: Karen McMillan.
on Wednesday, 24 April 1996, at 3:30 p.m. at the
L.L Botanical Society Mar. - Apr. 1996 Page 11
LONG ISLAND BOTANICAL SOCIETY PROGRAMS
Founded: 1986; Incorporated: 1989.
TheLongIslandBotanicalSocietyisdedicatedtothepromotionof 12 March 1996 - 7:30pm*.
fieldbotanyandagreaterunderstandingoftheplantsthatgrow Member's Night: The Second Try.
wildonLongIsland,NewYork. MuseumofL.I. Natural Sciences, room
President EricLamont 137, SUNY at Stony Brook; Our
VicePresident SkipBlanchard January member's night meeting was
Treasurer CarolJohnston snowed out so we are trying again.
Rec'rdSec'y BarbaraConolly
Cor'spSec'y JaneBlanchard Contact Steve Clemants at 718-941-
LocalFlora StevenClemants 4044 X 234 ifyou plan to bring slides.
FieldTrip GlennRichard
AllanLindberg
Membership LoisLindberg 9 April 1996 - 7:30 pm*, Dr. Margery Oldfield
Conservation JohnTurner "Values ofBiodiversity;" Muttontown
LouiseHarrison
Education MaryLauraLamont Preserve Nature Center, East Norwich.
TomStock Dr. Oldfield, Director ofthe Seatuck
Hospitality NancySmith Research Program in Islip, will talk
BettyLotowycz
Program SkipBlanchard about intrinsic and instrumental values
StevenClemants ofbiodiversity, using examples both
Editor EricLamont fromthe local area and from elsewhere
Membership in the nation and the world.
Membershipisopentoall,andwewelcomenewmembers.
tAonnLuOalN.GdueIsSaLrAeN$D10B.OFToArNmeImCbAerLshSiOpC,ImEaTkYeyanodurmcaihlectko;pLaoyiasble *Refreshments&informaltalk beginsat7:30pm, the
Lindberg,MembershipChairperson,4.5SandyHillRoad,Oyster meetingstartsat8pm. Fordirections to: 1)MOLINS,call
Bay,NY 11771-3111 516/632-8230; 2)MuttontownPreservecall 516-571-8500.
LONG ISLAND BOTANICAL SOCIETY
c/o Muttontown Preserve
Muttontown Lane
East Norwich, New York 11732
L.7. Botanical Society Jan. - Feb. 1996 Page 12