Photos / Sounds
What
Tribe PoeaeObserver
bio3660rodvangDescription
Very tall grass, anywhere between 50cm-2m in some places. Leaf blades are green, but the inflorescence is a light green with streaked purple. Found this grass growing on the tops of coulees, down by the Oldman river and in cotton wood park.
Photos / Sounds
What
Bromes (Genus Bromus)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
Anywhere from 30cm-130cm, can get extremely tall. Dry soil, surrounded by dense tufts of more brome grass and common prairie grasses.
Culms are smooth and slender, pedicle can have more than 1 spikelet coming from the stalk. Grows in many different types of soil, as I have seen this brome grass back on the farm many times. So many places in Alberta I have recognized this grass.
Photos / Sounds
What
Eastern Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbosa var. americana)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
Found on our second fieldtrip out to Porcupine Hills. Located on the forest floor, massive trees towering over, orchids just barely poking out of the needle floor.
No taller than 10cm, clearly an orchid just based on the unique arrangement of the petals.
Photos / Sounds
What
Quack Grass (Elymus repens)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
This grass was between 40cm-150cm tall, just depending where it was growing. On top of the coulees it was usually shorter than in a valley.
Alternating green spikelets, green culms and green leaf blades as well. The leaf blade wraps around the culm.
Photos / Sounds
What
Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
Anywhere between 40-80cm tall in the field. Growing everywhere down in the coulees. Surrounded by many other grasses in the Poaceae family. Dry soil.
The inflorescence was very soft.
Photos / Sounds
What
Twinberry Honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
this particular plant was about 0.5m tall, they can get anywhere between 0.5-5m tall, greenish, glabrous, opposite leaves, short petioles, round at base, short stalked pairs of flowers cupped by a large involucre of fused bracts, corolla is tubular bell shaped, yellow
moist soil, roadside stop.
Photos / Sounds
What
White Bog Orchid (Platanthera dilatata)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
either this or elegant rain orchid.
Photos / Sounds
What
Spinystar (Escobaria vivipara)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
compact colony, only one of them was flowering, the others were about to. very low to the soil, 2 inches above it maybe. rose-purple corolla colour.
located on a south facing slope, just outside of the University Hall cafeteria.
Photos / Sounds
What
Plains Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
~15cm tall. clusters of spines, about 3-4cm long. flowers are yellow and quite large, roughly 7-10cm wide, stamens are numerous.
found on a dry ridge in the coulees, exposed slope in the Dog Run Park.
Photos / Sounds
What
Crested Wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum)Observer
bio3660rodvangDescription
Very abundant grass that grows in large groups so it is very easy to spot as it occupies a large amount of area where I was at. Ranges from 30-60cm in height approximately. Extremely thin stem with densely packed spikes at the top of the grass. Stems were green for the bottom third but light brown for the rest of the grass. This is an introduced species from Russia/Siberia used to reseed abandoned crop land which helps decrease erosion. I presume it can grow in many different habitats because I often see this species of grass no matter where I go in Alberta. Growing in dry soil North of the Water building @ the University.
