Hackberry: The Teenage Years

I was going through some of my photos from this past summer (preparing to organize and identify them), when I came across a picture of a tree with some very interesting bark.

I had a vague feeling of recognition when I took this picture, but I couldn't quite pin it down. After being a teaching assistant for a botany class this semester, however, I remembered what it was the second time around: American hackberry (Celtis occidentalis).

What's the easiest way to remember this tree? Definitely the bark: it's gnarled and warty, with furrows. As the tree gets older, it gets more warty and just a tad bit smoother. It hasn't reached this stage yet, so I would call this tree a teenager. 

The leaves are serrate (they have little teeth on the edges), and are alternatively arranged on the stem.

American hackberry is found in the West and Midwest, and is relatively common in Ohio. When its leaves fall off in the autumn, you can sometimes find galls on the leaves caused by a Psyllid insect (it's related to cicadas and aphids). Due to these little insects, the leaves can become as warty as the bark! For more information about the galls, check out the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension site.

Interestingly enough, this tree has been in my backyard for a while now and I never noticed it before. If you haven't found a theme from my blog yet, consider this: get out there and start observing! There's still so much to explore.

The Humble Clover

While using StumbleUpon yesterday, I came across a gardening website that was discussing Red clover (Trifolium pratense), a plant native to Europe that has become naturalized in the United States. While reading a little bit about it, I realized that I had never actually associated the small pink flowers with the actual clover itself.

 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Red_clover_closeup.jpg

Now, this realization was embarrassing, because I should have made the obvious connection and paid attention to my surroundings. But it was also eye opening that I have been surrounded by clover and these pink flowers all my life, but had never before thought about any connection between the two. Clover has been ubiquitous in my yard, and essentially any other place I've gone in my life, so it's not like this was just a small anomaly. 

Red clover itself is pretty interesting. It's part of the legume family, Fabaceae, which includes soybeans, peas, and peanuts. One of the most interesting characteristics of this family is their nitrogen-fixing roots. Many species have root nodules on their roots, which host bacteria that can fix nitrogen from the air, thereby enriching the soil. It's a symbiotic relationship that confers advantages to the bacteria and the plant, and makes the soil more fertile at the same time. The plant itself is eaten by grazers.

Bumblebees are pollinators of the flowers, and I've seen butterflies drinking the nectar from the flowers as well. 

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) on red clover

So, moral of the story: pay attention to the plants and animals around you. Especially the ones you've had around you for your entire life.

References:
USDA PLANTS Profile