Anemone, anemone, wherefore art thou?
For those of us eager to get a jump on documenting spring wildflowers, the anemones are beginning to bloom as early as December, although peak bloom is in March. There are five species in TX, and several aren't well documented. Anemone berlandieri is the most common in all but far western Texas. I'm hoping we can fill in the gaps for the less commonly observed species whose geographic range is not as well documented.
👉 Here's an identification guide showing features that need to be clearly visible in pictures to make a positive ID.
Here's a map showing iNat observations of all 5 species of Anemone occurring in Texas (In the overlay panel, toggle off A. berlandieri as it obscures some of the others)
Anemone caroliniana can occur together with A. berlandieri, sometimes growing side-by-side. But A. caroliniana is far less common, and seems to prefer sandy soils.
- Here's a map showing it's general distribution
- DFW Carolina anemeone project
- Side-by-side comparison
Anemone okennonii was described as a new species in 1994. It is also known as Anemone tuberosa var. texana as it's status as a species (vs. variety) has been questioned. It occurs from west Texas and southeastern New Mexico to the Edwards Plateau of Texas but its geographic extent is lesser known than the other species.
Anemone edwardsiana has a distribution limited to the limestone outcrops of the Balcones Escarpment. It appears to prefer canyons where it is relatively more moist, but has been found in drier areas also.
In Texas, Anemone tuberosa is found only in the Franklin Mountains and Hueco Tanks State Park. It occurs in southern New Mexico westward.
There is also what I think is an undescribed species on the Rolling Plains of Texas, extending northward into western Oklahoma and southwestern Kansas. It's most unique characteristic is fuzzyness on all parts of the plant.
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@suz, @bob777, @tadamcochran, @andyk, @dodi, @cwd912nb, @mertmack1, @brentano, @cgritz, @itmndeborah, @taogirl, @jbe_fleischman_fam, @mkc123, @walkingstick2, @wildcarrot, @cindylcobb5, @kenttrulsson, @lbullington24, @lpenn, @annikaml, @butterflies4fun, @djvalkyrie, @naturenut, @cameralenswrangler, @andyk, @katelyn3, @squaylei2000, @sehnature, @sherylsr
The prize for "First to Document an Anemone in Bloom in Texas for 2018-2019" goes to.....@suzannesimpson, December 29th in Del Rio.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2018-12-01&d2=2019-01-15&order=asc&order_by=observed_on&place_id=18&subview=table&taxon_id=51242
I'm headed to Hamilton County this weekend. I'll keep an eye out!
@lovebirder
Haha! Wonderful! :)
Awesome!!! I'm adding it to my evergrowing list for 2019! :D
So cool.. thanks for sharing this... We all like a good scavenger hunt. @lshepstew @csquare @amymonroy
What do I win?? An anemone??
@suzannesimpson, all I got is this thumbs-up emoji 👍
Sweet! I completely forgot about the Anemone post from last year. I'll keep my eyes peeled.
I will be on the look out! Thanks for the heads up! So many plants out there. I sort of forget about certain ones.🤪
now that I am a Colorado resident will have to pass on these adventures
Ah Thank you! I'll be on the look out :)
I'm ready for spring. I'll see what I can find.
First record of Anemone okennonii on iNat!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19677938
This species could potentially occur anywhere on the Edwards plateau. It's not a well-documented species.
The Anemone Scavenger Hunt BioBlitz info has been posted!
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/kimberlietx/21271-carolina-anemone-scavenger-hunt-bioblitz
Don't forget! Anemone BioBlitz is this Saturday!!
Due to the thunderstorms expected on Saturday, we are rescheduling the Anemone BioBlitz to Saturday, March 23rd at 10am. We hope you will still be able to make it!
In the meantime, if you are out and about, please take a look for Anemones! It's important to get a picture of the identifying characteristics (mainly the stem below the bract) and to check the location in several different places, as they are commonly found together. We have put together an information sheet on the different species in DFW and this visual comparison below. We hope you will still plant to join us for the BioBlitz on March 23rd!
Information Sheet Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1llZApbJ29F2h9w7EYA7D3B-cDAcQra0GC01zWMCvVc8/edit#slide=id.p
Comparison Image: (Click image below to see an enlarged version or to select the original high quality image.)
I've YET to see A. caroliniana myself in person. Kimberlie's amazing images are the closest I've come. I'm also very jealous of @kimberlietx having been finding them all over the place!
We've put together a project for the DFW Carolina anemone bioblitz. It includes links to a guide to help distinguish the two species in the area and a map of sandy soils (they are said to inhabit sandy soils whereas A. berlandieri prefers heavier clay or loam soils).
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/carolina-anemones-of-dfw
I really appreciate the images and have brought them into the field on my phone. I have yet to see an anemone that I would confidently say is A. carliniana. What I have observed, though, is there is marked variation in pruinosity (is that the right word for hairiness?) among some A. berlanieri. It appears that specimens with the least pruinosity also have the lowest bracts - appearing to be at least halfway down the scape or even lower. Is this all merely a sign of the age of the flower?
@lshepstew, I've only recently figured this out myself. As the scape elongates, the distance between each hair (trichome) increases, causing it to appear less fuzzy than when the scape is short and the trichomes are still close together.
@kimberlietx went to Wakefield Park for a bit and no luck with Carolina's, though tons of Berlandieri. Will upload when I can! There's another sandy area in town at a park I'm going to check soon :)
@katelyn3 Thanks for the update. @pfau_tarleton can update the map.
Unfortunately, we are going to cancel the BioBlitz for this blooming season. I didn't get the memo that mother nature had the sprinklers set to run every Saturday, so we are once again rained out by 90% chance of thunderstorms. Next weekend is predicted to be the same.
Please review the links post for the training information and links to maps of where we are needing searchers to check.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/carolina-anemones-of-dfw/journal/22090-important-links
If there is interest, I can arrange a short webinar to talk through the information about identifying Amenones and locations to check. Comment on THIS post if you would like to be notified. It will depend on the number of interested participants.
Thank you to everyone who planned to join us! We will try for the BioBlitz again next year!
@kimberlietx - I found quiet a few Carolina's yesterday and today, but they are north of your project range in Grayson County and maybe one i Cook County. I don't know if you are interested in these or not, but I'm playing along anyway lol.
Any observation is a good observation!
I hit the jackpot today--got to see them for the first time and discovered a new location! This species is so much more beautiful than the other anemones. And they look totally different from A. berlandieri in person.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=grid&taxon_id=128651&user_id=pfau_tarleton&verifiable=any
The anemone season will be winding down over the next few weeks, so if you want to explore some more, now's the time! Here's a review of what's happened over the past couple of months. It's been pretty remarkable. Prior to January 2019, there were 19 observations of Anemone caroliniana in Texas made by 12 observers at 11 locations. Since January 1, 2019, there have been 74 additional observations by 32 observers at ~40 locations!
Before January 2019: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d2=2019-01-01&place_id=18&taxon_id=128651
After January 2019: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?d1=2019-01-01&place_id=18&taxon_id=128651
There have also been several observations from new locations for Anemone okennoni, edwardsiana, and tuberosa.
Great job, folks!
@suz, @bob777, @tadamcochran, @andyk, @dodi, @cwd912nb, @mertmack1, @brentano, @cgritz, @itmndeborah, @taogirl, @jbe_fleischman_fam, @mkc123, @walkingstick2, @wildcarrot, @cindylcobb5, @kenttrulsson, @lbullington24, @lpenn, @annikaml, @butterflies4fun, @djvalkyrie, @naturenut, @cameralenswrangler, @andyk, @katelyn3, @squaylei2000, @sehnature, @sherylsr
I think Arcadia Park has just the one type. So far it has been the Anemone berlandieri. Though, I am still looking. I went walked up to the North end of Arcadia on the other side of N. Tarrant but looks to be the same kind.
I updated this journal post with a bit of info about each of the 5 species of Anemone occurring in Texas. Including this map showing observations of all 5 species: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/map?taxa=857042,75444,158362,141532,128651#6/32.207/-98.76 (In the overlay panel, toggle off A. berlandieri as it obscures some of the others)
Cool map!
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