(More to come. If you have any great photos of plants or wildlife in the Crusher Lot, I’d love to have them. Thank you – Alan)
Wood Anemone (Anemone Nemorosa)
There are at least two patches of wood anemone that bloom in the Crusher Lot in early May.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
NOTE: Jack-in-the-pulpit often has three leaves and could be mistaken for poison ivy. Here is a good article on how to tell them apart:
https://identifythatplant.com/a-study-of-three-leaved-plants-in-the-woods/
Indian Pipe or Ghost Plant (Monotropa uniflora)
The Indian Pipe is a native perennial wildflower that grows in many locations at the Crusher, flowering in early summer, often after a rain. It is parasitic on a host fungus and does not need sunlight.
Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
A member of the rose family, native woody perennial raspberry shrubs live in the Crusher. They flower and produce fruit during the summer months, providing food for pollinators and other wildlife.
False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)
A member of the lily family, False Solomon’s Seal is a native perennial plant living in the Crusher. They flower in late spring and produce berries in summer that become red when mature.
Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Joe Pye Weed is a native herbaceous flowering perennial plant in the daisy family. Ottoson Middle School students have established a small stand at the Crusher in their native plant garden.
Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)
The Crusher Lot is full of this stuff. Be careful. “Leaves of three, let it be”, except not everything with three leaves is poison ivy. See the article above.
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
Garlic mustard is a highly invasive plant which has moved into the Crusher Lot. It can out-compete native species, and damage other parts of the woodland ecosystem. The Crusher Lot’s land steward, Michael Ratner, has spent years controlling the incursion. Garlic mustard is mainly controlled by pulling it out with its roots in the spring before seeds are produced, and disposing of it in the trash, not compost. Some people eat the young leaves.
Garlic mustard is easily recognized in the spring when in bloom. More information can be found at invasive.org.