The Vasculum

A Spring Prairie Tour (May 1, 2020) by Justin Thomas Director of Science NatureCITE The following photos have been posted for folks listening to the NatureCITE podcast #5 (link  here ) to follow along with. For more about ecological emergence, ascendance and autocatalysis see NatureCITE podcast #3 and stay tuned. The photos aren't great, but by using the captions of each photo while listening to the descriptions on the podcast one should be able to better understand of the phenomena and lifeforms explained in the podcast.  Castilleja coccinea (Indian Paintbrush). This was the only population seen on the property, though it used to be common. Growing season fire (that which occurs from mid-February through late September), especially in the spring, burns up the rosettes of this species before they can grow and flower. The fruiting bodies of Carex abdita (Hidden Sedge) in the unburned portion of the site. Oxalis violacea (Wood Sorrel). A common prairie spe

A Woodland Tour (April 17, 2020) by Justin Thomas Director of Science NatureCITE The following photos have been posted for folks listening to the NatureCITE podcast #4 (link here ) to follow along with. The photos aren't great, but by using the captions of each photo while listening to the descriptions on the podcast one should be able to better understand of the phenomena and lifeforms explained in the podcast.  My travel companions. Looking downstream at the beginning of the tour. White flowers are Nothoscrodum bivalve (False Garlic) and Thalictrum thalictroides (Rue Anemone). Close up of the general ground flora in the photo above. In addition to Nothoscordum bivalve and Thalictrum thalictroides , there is Rubus enslenii , Parthenocissus quinquefolia , Agrimonia pubescens , et al. Photo of a leaf litter dominated slope taken from bottom - up. Though depauperate now, with time, as this forest matures, the flora is likely to increase in density, d