Oak-Pine Northern Hardwood Forests of the Watershed Center

Pteridophytes or Pteridophyta, in the broad interpretation of the term (or sensu lato), are vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce and disperse via spores. Because they produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are referred to as cryptogams. The group includes ferns, horsetails, clubmosses, spikemosses and quillworts. These do not form a monophyletic group, because ferns and horsetails are more closely related to seed plants than to lycophytes (clubmosses, spikemosses and quillworts). Therefore, pteridophytes... less ↑

Basic Info
• From the orchid family

• It is a wild flower

• Endangered species because they take a long time to grow

Identification
• Plant has only two leaves
• Green and branch out from center of plant
• Single flower stalk grows from the center
• Flower is pink and people think it looks like a slipper – that is why it is named
lady slipper
• Slipper grows about three inches long
• Flower is closed tightly except for a small opening in the front

Niche
• Grow in shady areas under big trees
• Deer and insects feed off a pink lady slipper
• It needs the help of a fungus to reproduce
• Only the bumble bees can push their way inside the slipper because it smells
sweet and they think it is nectar but it is not
• When the bees get inside they realize there is no nectar and they can’t get out
without pushing the stamen and getting covered in pollen and when they leave
they spread the pollen and it makes new flowers less ↑

Quercus prinus (syn. Quercus montana), the chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak group, Quercus sect. Quercus. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is one of the most important ridgetop trees from southern Maine southwest to central Mississippi, with an outlying northwestern population in southern Michigan. It is also sometimes called "rock oak" because of montane and other rocky habitats. As a consequence of its dry habitat and... less ↑

Maianthemum canadense (Canadian May-lily, Canada Mayflower, False Lily-of-the-valley, Canadian Lily-of-the-valley, Wild Lily-of-the-valley,Two-leaved Solomonseal; syn. Maianthemum canadense var. interius Fern., Maianthemum canadense var. pubescens Gates & Ehlers, Unifolium canadense (Desf.) Greene ) is a dominant understory perennial flowering plant, native to the sub-boreal conifer forests in Canada and the northern United States, from Yukon and British Columbia east to Newfoundland and south to Nebraska and Pennsylvania, and also in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. It can... less ↑

Identification:
It grows up to 59 to 89 feet tall, exceptionally up to 115 feet tall. Leaves are usually about 3.5 inches. The red maple is one of the most abundant trees in the country the tree does very well in many types of soil. The red maple lives for about 150 years. A red maple can produce about 12,000 to 91,000 seeds in a single season.

Niche:
A red maple is a producer; it uses the sun for its energy. It also gives energy to other animals who eat seed that the tree drops.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum less ↑

Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion (often simply called "dandelion"), is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae). It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. T. officinale is considered a weed, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. Common dandelion... less ↑

Identification:

White oak trees grow to 50-80 feet tall with an equal spread. They have dark green leaves in the summer which turn showy red in the fall. They have a slow to moderate growth rate. They prefer moist, well-drained soil and full sunlight.

Niche
White Oak trees are producers because they make their own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water.

Sources:
http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?ID=173
ed to be over 450 years old. less ↑

Identification

Vaccinium corymbosum the northern highbush blueberry, is a species of blueberry that is native to eastern North America .Some other common names include tall huckleberry, blue huckleberry, high blueberry,swamp huckleberry, and swamp blueberry. They have dark green waxy leaves and deep blue, berries.

Niche

Highbush Blueberries are producers because they make their own food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. They are an important food source for organisms such as birds, bear, deer… These animals eat their juicy berries.

Other roles in the ecosystem

Highbush Blueberries are found near many wetlands and open forests. The species does not like shade.

sources

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/highbush_blueberry.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_corymbosum less ↑

Identification

The Northern Red Oak is also known as Quercus rubra. The Northern Red Oak is a tall tree. It has large wide branches with a rounding crown. It can grow up to 90 feet tall. Some of the leaves are 5–9 inches long, with 7–11 bristle-tipped lobes. Generally the leaves are very uniform in shape, dull green to blue-green. It has yellow-green slender, hanging catkins, 2 to 4 inches long. Acorns are 3/4 to 1 inch long and nearly round; acorn top is flat and thick resembling a beret; matures in 2 growing seasons, in late summer and fall. The flowers are quite stout and red-brown; terminal buds are multiple, quite large, conical, and covered with red-brown. Young stems are smooth whereas older bark develops wide, flat-topped ridges. The shallow furrows form a pattern resembling ski tracks.

Niche
Northern Red Oak is a producer, because it produces its own food and food for other animals too. The Red Oak does this by taking in the sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. All different types of animals eat of off this tree such as bears, deer, or squirrels.

Other Roles in the Ecosystem
The Red Oak is a fairly large tree that can give shelter to many animals. Also, animals come to feed of off the tree's flowers and acorns.

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/northern-red-oak
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=38 less ↑

Identification:
The Eastern white pine is the largest pine tree. All pines are evergreen so they are green all year round. The needles grow in groups of five. They can grow up to five inches long.

Niche:
The white pine gets its energy from the sun. It is a producer because it gets its energy from the sun.

Resources:
www.fcps.edu/.../eastern_white_pine.htm
www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/pinus/strobus.htm less ↑