Archive for category: Species Profile

Scientific Name: Impatiens capensis
Common Name(s): Jewelweed, Orange Jewelweed, Spotted Touch-me-not

Photos by Kayla Sayre, Bella Vista POA Fisheries & Water Quality Sr.

Identification:

Jewelweed is a tall, branching herbaceous annual plant with orange and red speckled flowers. These orange-speckled flowers have five petals, and one of the sepals is modified into a pouch structure that gives the flower a cornucopia shape. Jewelweed can grow to heights of 2 to 5 feet and widths of 2 feet.  It has brittle, watery, and almost translucent branching stems. The stems can be pale green to red and come off a shallow branching taproot. The leaves are arranged around the stem in an alternating pattern. Jewelweed is in the touch-me-not family (Balsaminaceae). The fruit capsules burst and expel seeds with the slightest touch.

Similar Species:

Yellow jewelweed is a rare plant to find and can accompany orange jewelweed. Yellow jewelweed is distinguished from orange jewelweed by its flower, which is larger and yellow. Additionally, yellow jewelweed tends to be a larger plant. The cultivated Impatiens walleriana is closely related and is the most popular bedding plant in the United States.

Range:

Jewelweed is found in most of the United States, excluding Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, California, and Alaska.

Ecology:

Jewelweed is an annual, so it dies in the winter and new plants grow from the seeds produced in previous years. Jewelweed flowers bloom from late summer until the first frost. Jewelweed makes two types of flowers and seeds.  It produces its typical flowers (shown above) that insects and hummingbirds cross-pollinate.  The second flower is small and inconspicuous and originates near the base of the leaves. The small flower is self-fertile (circled in picture above). Flowers that self-fertilize in this manner are called cleistogamous. The cross-pollinated seed produces more robust and larger plants, but the cleistogamous flowers create seeds at a much lower energy cost to the plant. Having two seed production modes makes jewelweed more adaptable to different environmental conditions.

Once established, jewelweed continues to produce vast stands of plants. Jewelweed prefers moist soil and partial sun. It does well in edge habitats- including forest edges, floodplain forests, lakesides, stream sides, marsh edges, and bog edges. It also does well in disturbed habitats such as ditches, lowlands, and roadcuts. Interestingly, jewelweed is one of the few aggressively native species, which makes it a good plant for habitat restoration since it can out-compete invasive species such as garlic mustard. It also does well on landscapes managed using prescribed burns.

Historically Indigenous peoples used the sap from the stems and leaves to relieve skin conditions such as itch and pain from poison ivy and stinging nettle, as well as hives and other skin irritants. The sap has anti-fungal properties and was historically used to treat athletes-foot. The berries can be toxic, especially if eaten by children.

Special Notes:

Jewelweed grows at Tanyard Creek and along the drainage into Windsor Lake at London Landing. Look for it along the lakeshores, streamsides, and drainage areas in Bella Vista. Jewelweed would be a beautiful addition to any backyard in Bella Vista, especially since they do well along forest edges and lakeshores. It is easily cultivated by direct sowing in the fall. Once established, it continues to maintain itself through annual seed production. Jewelweed attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. It is also mildly deer resistant.

Scientific Name: Monarda punctata L. & Monarda fistulosa L.

Common Name(s): M. punctata – Spotted Bee Balm, Spotted Horsemint, Horsemint
M. fistulosa – Bee Balm, Wild Bergamot

Photos by Kayla Sayre, Bella Vista POA Fisheries & Water Quality Sr. Technician

Identification:

Both spotted bee balm and wild bergamot are in the mint family (Lamiaceae) and share the same genus (Monarda). Species in the genus Monarda are characterized as herbaceous plants with slender, serrated, lanceolate leaves. Lanceolate leaves are shaped like the tip of a lance where they are long and wider in the middle with a tapering point. Similarly, these leaves are oppositely arranged around a square stem. Flowers in the genus Monarda have tubular flowers with bilateral symmetry where the plants are the same from left to right.

The morphology of the flowers distinguishes spotted bee balm from wild bergamot. Spotted bee balm has bracts associated with their layered flower heads. Bracts are specialized leaves that are associated with the flowerhead rather than the stem. The bracts on spotted bee balm are green when first emerging then turn to purple, pink, white or yellow, but most often are purple or pink in the wild. In between the bracts are yellow petals with spots that are maroon. In comparison, wild bergamot does not have bracts or layers, but instead has a ragged pom-pom shaped head that can be lavender, pink, or white, but most often is lavender in the wild. Wild bergamot is slightly taller, reaching heights between 2 and 5 feet while Spotted Bee Balm reached heights between 1 and 3 feet.

Range:

Spotted bee balm and wild bergamot share ranges in the South, excluding Florida, and the Northeast. In the Midwest, their ranges overlap in Colorado. In the West, their ranges overlap in New Mexico. Neither species is native to Nevada or California.

Ecology:

Spotted bee balm and wild bergamot can grow in a variety of conditions. They are both found in prairies, meadows, ditches, and plains. Spotted bee balm is also found in forest edges, dry woods, and marshes. Wild bergamot can do well in disturbed habitat, so can be seen along roadsides in Bella Vista. Spotted bee balm is a bit more tolerant to a variety of soil conditions doing well in clay, acidic, sand and loam soil that is well drained. Wild bergamot does well in dry and somewhat sandy soils. Both species can tolerate full sun, but spotted bee balm prefers conditions with part shade. Both do well in medium to low water conditions, so are ideal for hot dry summer weather. Once these species are established, they can thrive in most soil and water conditions.

Both spotted bee balm and wild bergamot are native plants that attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. In fact, both are of high nutritional value to adult monarch butterflies. Similarly, both are of special value for bumble bees which are declining. Spotted bee balm is also a species of value for honeybees. If you would like to attract butterflies to your yard and raise a resilient plant species, consider spotted bee balm and wild bergamot. Cultivation of both species is easy, and they spread rapidly once established. Wild bergamot is a deer resistant flower which is important in Bella Vista with its high deer population.

The leaves of both plants can be dried and steeped into a tea with wild bergamot having a minty taste and spotted bee balm having a taste closer to oregano or thyme. Historically, both species were used as medicinal herbs and are fragrant plants since they are in the mint family. Wild bergamot was crushed and used as a perfume, as well as to treat wounds, dental infections, and gastrointestinal problems by Native Americans. Similarly, spotted bee balm was used to treat upset stomachs, diarrhea, neuralgia, and kidney disease before modern medicine. Current research has been conducted on chemicals found in both plants. Wild bergamot contains carvacrol, an antioxidant which researchers found to have antimicrobial properties. Similarly, some research has shown carvacrol to suppress E. coli and Salmonella. Spotted bee balm contains thymed which has both antiseptic and antifungal properties.

Special Notes:

In Bella Vista, wild bergamot is very common along roadsides and will bloom late June to early July. Spotted bee balm is common along forest edges and will bloom in the middle of July.  In fact, we have a spotted bee balm plant near the Fisheries and Water Quality Lab. Both species make perfect garden plants which will attract butterflies and help declining monarch butterflies. Both species can be very resilient, so take care to allow them lots of room to grow into. They are also good species to plant around decks or back porches as they help repel mosquitoes.

Scientific Name: Coragyps atratus

Common Name(s): Black Vulture, Mexican Vulture, Zopilotes, Gallinazo

©Cayambe

Identification:

Black vultures are in the family Accipitridae which includes eagles, hawks, kits, and harriers. Black vultures have black plumage, featherless black head and neck, and a short, hooked beak. They have broad wings, a short tail, and neat white stars under their wing tips. With a wingspan of around 5 feet, they are relatively small compared to other vulture species. When in flight, they splay out their wing tips almost like fingers. Turkey vultures can be distinguished from Black vultures by their red head and larger size.

Range:

Black vulture range includes the south and east coast of North America through Mexico and down to the entirety of South America. However, with increased temperatures, black vulture range has extended into some areas north of their highlighted range such as parts of Kansas, Indiana, and as far north as Maine. Although it is a very common species, its range is more restricted than the Turkey vulture which will live as far north as Southern Canada.

Ecology:

Black vultures are social and live in small flocks where they share food with one another. They nest in caves, hollow trees, or bare ground and produce 2 young per year. The young are well taken care of, and parents feed them months after they fledge. Interestingly, black vultures do not have the vocal organ in birds, called the syrinx, so they communicate in grunts or low hisses.

They are known to eat carrion (dead animals) and eggs. They offer ecological assistance in removing dead animals which might otherwise carry diseases that are a concern for human health. In areas with catastrophic declines in vulture populations, there are increases in populations of coyotes, rats, and feral dogs as well as increases in diseases such as rabies, brucellosis, and anthrax.

Black vultures have keen eyesight, but poor smell compared to turkey vultures. They soar high above the tree line and watch turkey vultures very closely. When they see a turkey vulture dive toward something they follow close behind. The turkey vulture is larger so will win out against a single Black vulture. However, a group of black vultures will easily scare away the turkey vulture, which does not live socially with other birds. Despite their importance in ecological waste disposal, they can become a nuisance species. In large numbers, they can become a menace for property owners, ripping up shingles, boat and car seat stuffing, pulling out window linings in cars, and defecating on property. It is likely that they are using this material for nesting, but there may be other reasons for this behavior.

Unlike other vultures, some people believe black vultures to be predatory. Farmers have given accounts of black vultures predating on newly born calves, calves in the process of being born, or estranged weak cows, in a herd. There is no empirical evidence that backs up these anecdotal observations and scientists believe that they do not kill the animals. Instead, some scientists hypothesize that the farm animals were in the process of dying when they were ultimately taken by the vultures. Increasing temperatures have led to an expanded range of black vultures into Indiana and some northern states where a lot of these predatory behaviors are observed. In 2021, scientists at Purdue University began researching this phenomenon to better understand if black vultures possess true predatory behavior:

<https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q2/purdue-asks-livestock-producers-for-help-studying-losses-due-to-black-vultures.html>

Special Notes:

Here in Bella Vista, black vultures roost behind Allen’s Grocery and by Lake Bella Vista. They can also be seen nesting on the rock bluff at Lake Ann. They may be seen in large flocks congregating around the various lake parks, like Ann Park and Tyree Park.

Scientific Name:           Phoradandram leucarpum

Common Name(s):        Oak mistletoe, American mistletoe, Eastern mistletoe, and hairy mistletoe
By: Karla Sayre

©Loadmaster ©Cressler, Alan

Identification:

Oak mistletoe is a common parasite that prefers the high branches of hardwood trees where it forms into a shrub-like clumping ball of vegetation that can grow up to 3.5 feet in length.  It lives on the branches of living trees and is an evergreen, which makes it most visible in the winter when trees are bare of leaves.   They form smooth, green, jointed stems with thick leathery leaves which are oriented opposite from one another.  Oak mistletoe is a vascular plant which produces flowers and berries.  The flowers bloom between September and October and are small and yellow.  Their berries form in November and can remain until late winter.  The berries are white and around 3 to 6 mm in diameter with a thick wax coating and sticky pulp.  The pulp is toxic to humans, but the berries are enjoyed by birds such as waxwings, grouse, mourning doves, evening grosbeaks, robins, and bluebirds.

Range:

Oak mistletoe is found in the southern, southeastern, and east coasts of the United States as well as Mexico.

Ecology:

Oak mistletoe is a type of obligate hemiparasitic plant.  Obligate means it needs its host to complete its life cycle.  Hemiparasitic, meaning it is a parasite but produces its own chlorophyll.  It does rely on the host plant for water, carbon, and some minerals, which means it remains photosynthetic but also relies on its host plant for water and some carbon or minerals. Mistletoe berries are eaten by birds.  Some seeds survive digestion and can form new plants when they are excreted onto living branches.  Similarly, birds can wipe seeds on branches when they are cleaning their beaks.  Mistletoe can live on up to 60 species of tree but prefer high branches of hardwood trees such as oaks, maples, willows, poplars, elms, walnut, and plane trees. Oak mistletoe can form thick clumps sometimes referred to as “witches’ brooms.”  These are used as nesting spaces for many types of owls (spotted, great gray, large-eared) and hawks (goshawk and sharp-shinned).  They are also used as homes for many common migratory birds, including gray jays, house wrens, mourning dove, chickadee, cassin’s finch, and pine siskin.

Special Notes:

In Bella Vista, mistletoe is visible on tall oaks and other common hardwood trees.  Being an evergreen shrub, it is especially noticeable during the winter months when trees are bare of leaves. Our local species is a surrogate for the European species and the tradition of “kissing under the mistletoe” around the winter holidays.  Mistletoe is still harvested and sold for that purpose.