Native Flora & Fauna Forum Post Contest
 

This will be a very simple, no frills contest. 1 prize unless there is a generous donation.

Prize:1 Medium Erin Pot which I won as second prize winner of the latest contest.

Subject: Native flora or fauna, plants or animals

Deadline: March 21st 2010. First day of Spring. Please post no later than 11:59 PM 3/21/10 US New York City Time.

Requirements: Write a reply to this thread on any animal or plant(orchid or not) native to your country or region that is important or interesting to you. In fact, for US members please write on an animal or plant native to your state. Native orchid species are highly encouraged. It doesn't have to be found only in your state, but it must live there at some point in the year. Include the scientific name of the creature of your choice. You can talk about why it might be important or why it might be endangered if it is. Whatever. No more 850 words, minimum of 350. You can use any type of illustration, please ask for permission if you use any photos or art that you did not create. Do not use more than 4 photos or other type of illustration (all combined = 4), and upload them to orchid board gallery first so that the photos stay on the thread as long as orchid board is running.
Please use correct English with complete sentences and proper grammar to the best of your ability.:typing:

How we will determine the winners:
I will set up a poll to have orchid board members vote for first prize.

I hope a lot of people join in just for fun, or just to show off what you know, or just to share with everyone something that you might be worried about (ex: endangered animal or plant), as well as to enter in a chance to win another prize :D

:cheer::cheer: :goodluck: :cheer::cheer:

As an example, I will write the first thread, it will not be entered into the contest.

Spotted salamander
Ambystoma maculata.
This is one of the jewels of the North East. A fossorial salamander, in other words spends most of its time underground. You are likely to see it on rainy or damp nights in the spring during its mating season. They are gorgeous little creatures about 7.5 to 10 centimeters long, from snout to the base of the tail. They are dark blue to black in colour with big yellow to orangy spots on their upper body, and sometimes especially when young with small light blue dots on their sides and undersides. Harmless little creatures that only eat bugs and live in the forgotten cool wet places of the North East. They are amphibians which means that they breath through their skin, do not have scales like reptiles, or nails or claws. Their teeth are tiny and harmless to people. Like all amphibians they start out as little tadpole like creatures that are totally aquatic. These however have legs and arms, unlike a frog's tadpoles. The adults breed in the spring, laying their eggs in pools of water that don't last the entire summer. So as the summer progresses the larvae or tadpoles/polywogs transform into adults, loosing their gills and any webbing in their toes and emerge from ponds as little versions of the adults.
Because of these reasons, these precious little salamanders are endangered in many areas. During their breeding season they are often squished by cars as they cross roads to get to their ancient breeding sites. Pollution often leads to the acidification of their breeding ponds which kills their larvae. And introduction of mosquito eating fish (Gambusia) into their breeding ponds eliminates their eggs via predation.
If you are ever driving at night in the spring and you see they tiny little thing crossing the road, give them a hand, don't squish them. If you live near their breeding sites think about what you put into the soil or ground (ex: salt for getting rid of ice and snow, that stuff finds it way into the ecosystem).

Cool facts:
They have a special algae that grows on their eggs. The algae feeds off the waste products of the maturing egg, and the egg gets extra oxygen produced by the algae.
Secretions from the tail “cause a drying and burning sensation to the tongue." I know this.

Dogwood Tree
Cornus florida
There are several different kinds of dogwood trees ranging from those who's conditions thrive in Florida, to those who's conditions are just right for New York. One native dogwood tree to Virginia is theflowering Dogwood. This tree is native to Virginia because it likes our climate and seasonal temperatures. This is probably also the reason that the dogwood flower is our state flower. These trees can range in size from only a few feet tall to several yards tall; depending on the growing conditions. These trees branch out rather than the typical braching up affect that most other trees follow. They reveal flowers in early June that last only a month or two at best. Once the flowers fall off, they leave behind a cluster of six or more berries. These berries are edible in some species of dogwoods, but in the case of the flowering Dogwood, the berries are mildly toxic to humans. The main consumers of these berries are birds such as Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Finches. Once the berries have all been consumed, the leaves turn a beautifull purple-burgandy color. These leaves are an attraction that many artists enjoy to paint in the early fall when the leaves are at their prime. Most people in Virginia take these trees for granted, not noticing their true beauty. Although, there are some people like me who tend to look deeper into the tree to see it's true beauty. There are several blights that harm these trees life such as: Dogwood Anthracnose, Spot Anthracnose, and Ascochyta Blight. Each of these mostly attack the root system which in-turn affects the flowering and leaf growth.
Some interesting facts:
The Dogwood is only planted by birds who eat their berries. There is no other practical way of spreading these plants in the wild.
Dogwoods are actually considered to be an ornimental tree due to their branching habits.
There is actually a Christian legend that goes along with the Dogwood tree at Easter. Many Christians believe that the coloring and shape of the dogwood flowers symbolizes the cross and Jesus's death Before his ressurection. Although the flowers do not open until the beginning of June, the story still stands that the flowers color and shape looks like the cross, and the red coloring on each of the ends of the petals symbolizes the blood shed by Christ when his hands and feet were nailed to the croos and when he wore the crown of thorns. Although a picture is not posted looking up a picture of the dogwood flower would help this description.

Two interesting pieces it will be hard to decide.
By the way, did you know that you can always tell a dogwood by it's bark? Literally true!

Alas! I have no skills as a writer

hehe - easy for you to say!
I'll see what I can do

A Rare and Indigenous Orchid
 

Ozette Coralroot
Corallorhize maculata (Rafinesque) Rafinesque var. ozettensis Tisch

This rare orchid was discovered in 1967 and first described in 2001 by Mr. Ed Tisch of Port
Angeles, Washington. It was found in one location in Clallam County on the Olympic Peninsula
in the coastal forests of that county. It was thought, at the time of its discovery, to be confined to
that one county, but has since been discovered in several locations across the water on Whidbey
Island. It was discovered there in 2002 by a young lady named Chelsea Kieffer while studying at
the Pacific Rim campus of the Au Sable Institute on that island. She found it in the woods on the
property of the Institute.
Last year, Chelsea visited Washington again with several other members of her family and led a
group from the Washington Native Orchid Society to see this orchid at the Au Sable Institute. I
was privileged to be a part of that group and to share Chelsea’s continued excitement over her
discovery. Later that day, at another location much further north, near Deception Pass, we found
this orchid once again at a new location and were able to feel some of the excitement of this new
discovery.
This plant is from eight inches to two feet tall and has bright reddish-purple stems. The plants
we saw had from six to twenty-six flowers that completely lacked the spotting of the other two
varieties, the Western Coralroot and the Western Spotted Coralroot. The flowers were the same
color as the stem on the exterior, but opened a greenish color on the inside with green petals
lightly striped in red-purple, a white lip, and a yellow column.
As with all the other Coralroots, this plant is leafless, sending up its flowering stems in June and
July, and leaving no trace of itself except dead spikes when finished. It is thought to be
saprophytic, getting its nourishment not through photosynthesis, but from the roots of other
plants and by means of a soil fungus. Its root looks like a piece of coral, hence its name.
This unique plant was named after the Ozette Indians who were the original occupants of the
land on which it was first found. I am not a taxonomist and have to trust the judgment of those
who know better than I, but this plant looks so different from the other Western Coralroots, that
it is hard to believe they are not entirely different species. It is considered “of special concern”
by the USDA.

Interesting facts:
(1) All the colonies discovered in Clallam County on the Olympic Peninsula were found at 300
meters from the ocean.
(2) In his book, Paul Martin Brown says that this variety is always found in pure colonies, but the
plants on Whidbey Island were not in such colonies, but growing among and with other plants of
the Western Spotted Coralroot.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...cture_2946.jpg Western Spotted Coralroot

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...icture_539.jpg Ozette Coralroot

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...cture_0401.jpg Ozette Coralroot

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...icture_342.jpg Ozette Coralroot