Sensitive Fern or Bead Fern

This is another tentative identification.  There was a group or clump of ferns on the southwest corner of Cloverlea and Rolandvue(near the street sign).  This would be characteristic as the sensitive fern grows from a single creeping rhizome. More usual in swamp or shade will tolerate sun if moist soil.
It is a pioneer species which may be consistent with the occasional cutting of this area. Native to North America, the name derives from its sensitivity to the first frost.

While gardeners worry about 10 hardiness zones, this fern grows from Labrador to Florida. The fertile frond will have dark beads.  More decorative, not mentioned as either medicinal or edible in my three handiest guides.

Wiki mentions the finely interlacing veins,possibly illustrated below.  We were looking at the vein pattern of Fireweed and happened to have the Sensitive Fern leaf on the light box.

Larch or Tamarack, uncommon in the area

If I was starting a life book of conifers,this might be an early entry.  I think it is a larch cone,not common in this area.   The tree,maybe two trees are on the north side of Bellona just before the big hill going down to Lake Roland.  You can pull out on the extra shoulder for the side road going north near Bowen Mill Rd..  The trees are so tall it is hard to identify the bristly needle distribution.  If truly a tamarack or larch they should lose there needles in the winter.

Tamarack is not mentioned in the immediately accessible edible plant guides.  Peterson/Medicinal mentions a bark tea used as a laxative and the gum can be chewed for indigestion.  You first.

The needle picture is from 20/20 site, went back with binoculars to confirm this tufted appearance but too far away to photo.

Agnostic Sunflowers--It is Always More Complicated Than That

As seen by the shadows in the lower left frame, these sunflowers are turned directly away from the setting sun.  I was expecting the usual  attraction to the sun as seen in time lapse youtube videos.  The turning of either flowers, leaves or both toward the sun is a form of heliotropism, like beach-goers moving their chairs during the day.

But it obviously varies.  More mature plants and more mature flowers may move less.  Commercial varieties may turn less. The stems harden and become fixed with age. There may be a preference for facing the rising sun. Some plants will turn back from the west during the night to face the rising sun.  Leaves turn as well and at least some of these leaves are facing the sun, though that may be random. Some plants have a natural turning rhythm even in a dark space.  Although this could be a protest over an unknown affront. The flowers are worshiping  the distant power lines.

Prostrate Spurge and Purslane

One reference considers these two low-growing plants as similar.  Here,at the edge of the driveway they were growing together.

The purslane has the larger leave, larger succulent stem and when broken shows a watery sap.  It is considered a leaf vegetable and eaten in many areas of the world.  Purslane is said to be high in Omega 3s and vitamins.  There may be a more tangy taste in the morning due to malic acid accumulated during the night.  Purslane is relatively high in oxalate, a risk factor for kidney stones.  The oxalate can be reduced by cooking.

The spurge has the darker, smaller leaves and more woody stems.  When torn it produces a milky sap like the milk weed and dandelion.  The latex fluid may be an irritant, like many of the Euphorbias, also be sensitizing.   It is listed as a native species.

Praying Mantis with Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

The butterfly seemed to be posing, fluttering but not flying away from the camera. Then the predator became more obvious, lying in wait near the flower, well camouflaged.  We have the impression that there are more mantes this season.  One theory is the joyous reunion of two old friends, the oriental mantis and the oriental stinkbug.  More prey for for the praying mantis. The butterfly was an incidental victim of the possibly proliferating predator.

Cucumber vine: by its fruits you will know...

There is a green vine growing over the large unusual evergreen tree (Cunninghamia) on the north side of Rolandvue a little east of Cloverlea.  Our guide identified this as cucumber vine.  I didn't ask if it was from the nearby garden or the wild type.

Wild cucumber is a native vine tending to grow near water or ponds as in this case.  The leaves are alternate, somewhat Maple like.  The white flowers should be followed by a 2 inch fruit covered with spikes. It is a relative of the pumpkin and cultured cucumber.  I did not see the spiked fruits as yet.

The dynamic changes in the Cloverlea/ Wagner circle are impressive.  In this case probably active gardening.  The cucumber vine over the Cunninghamia has been removed.  We will not see the fruits unless there is a straggler.  The spiky pods on the internet looked interesting.  Maybe next year.

Update: A few weeks later the cucumber vine is back, the photos show  the leaves are a little maple-like, as in the internet picture at the bottom. The tendrils may be typical and have gotten some scientific interest.  How do they coil without twisting back on themselves like a hose?  It may have something to do with the small straight stretch near the bottom.  Here it has attached to a blade of grass.  Location was over the rocks on the north side of Rolandvue next to the Cunninghamia. Still no prickly fruit.

Mayapple, trick or treat?

There are at least two patches of mayapple, one on the south side of Rolandvue a few yards from Bellona, the second on the northeast side of Cloverlea before the lane goes off to the left.  They grow in colonies like this as they come from a single underground root or rhizome.
Mayapple has an interesting partnership with a fungus around its roots which assists with nutrient uptake.

Stems with one leaf will have no flowers or fruit, stems with two leaves can have both.  There may be a competition with forest animals getting to the somewhat edible fruit.  This is another situation in which research and long term familiarity with the plant is needed before thinking of consumption. All parts of the plant are poisonous other than the fruit, the green fruit is toxic, so the margin of safety may be narrow. In addition some authors eat neither the skin or the seeds.

I let this mayapple ripen and get yellow and soft but was not tempted. Maybe in a year or two after more evaluation.  The leaves are commonly subject to a rust.