South Hill Powerline Cut
When
What
Where
Who
Description
Despite being human-disturbed habitats, powerline cuts can be great places to botanize. Because of the sandy, sunny nature of the site, this 1.5 mile stretch of powerline heading north from E. King Road to Ithaca College includes some species more typical of coastal plain communities, such as Asclepias tuberosa (butterflyweed), Cirsium pumilum (dwarf thistle), Gaylussacia baccata (black huckleberry), Rosa carolina, as well as a variety of Vaccinium species (blueberries). The margins of the service road running uphill from the parking lot have some interesting plants, including Verbena hastata(blue vervain), Anaphalis margaritacea (pearly everlasting) and Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (narrow-leaved mountain mint). We may also see other species in flower, such as Lespedeza violacea, Polygala sanguinea, Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium, Spiranthes cernua(?), goldenrods and asters. Meet at the Cooperative Extension Parking Lot (Willow Ave.) at 9:30 to carpool to the site.
Report
We went above Ithaca College, past the water tower on the Observatoy Access Road, and to the nearby powerline cut. We had good weather, although a bit cloudy so fewer butterflies were out. But the butterfly weed was in full bloom - wonderful - and the native thistle was intermixed. An interesting spot at this time of year. The access road described above had been mowed during the preceding week, so we missed a couple of species, but the list is still pretty long!
Plant list - South Hill powerline walk - July 15, 2017 Asterisk * indicates non-natives
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Acer rubrum |
red maple |
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Achillea millefolium* |
yarrow |
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Agrostis gigantea* |
bent grass, redtop |
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Alliaria petiolata* |
garlic mustard |
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Anaphalis margaritacea |
pearly everlasting |
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Antennaria howellii |
small pussytoes |
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Antennaria plantaginifolia |
plantain-leved pussytoes |
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Anthoxanthum odoratum |
sweet vernal grass |
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Apocynum androsaemifolium |
spreading dogbane |
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Apocynum cannabinum |
Indian hemp |
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Asclepias syriaca |
common milkweed |
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Asclepias tuberosa |
butterfly weed |
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Athyrium angustum |
northern lady fern |
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Berberis thunbergii* |
Japanese barberry |
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Berberis vulgaris* |
common barberry |
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Betula populifolia |
gray birch |
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Brachyelytrum aristosum |
northern shorthusk |
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Carex crinita |
fringed sedge |
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Carex lurida |
sallow sedge |
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Carlina vulgaris* |
Carline thistle |
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Carya glabra |
pignut hickory |
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Carya ovata |
shagbark hickory |
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Cichorium intybus* |
chicory |
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Cirsium arvense* |
Canada thistle |
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Cirsium pumilum |
pasture thistle |
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Cirsium vulgare* |
bull thistle |
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Clinopodium vulgare |
wild basil |
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Cornus racemosa |
gray dogwood |
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Cynanchum rossicum* |
pale swallowwort |
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Dactylis glomerata* |
orchard grass |
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Danthonia compressa |
wild oatgrass |
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Danthonia spicata |
wild oatgrass |
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Daucus carota* |
Queen Anne's lace, wild carrot |
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Dennstaedtia punctilobula |
hay-scented fern |
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Dianthus armeria* |
Deptford pink |
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Dryopteris intermedia |
evergreen wood fern |
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Elaeagnus umbellata* |
autumn olive |
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Erechtites hieraciifolia* |
pilewort |
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Erigeron annuus |
daisy fleabane |
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Euthamia graminifolia |
grass-leaved goldenrod |
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Gaylussacia baccata |
black huckleberry |
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Glyceria striata |
fowl manna grass |
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Hackelia virginiana |
Virginia stickseed |
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Hedeoma pulegioides |
American pennyroyal |
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Houstonia caerulea |
bluets |
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Hypericum perforatum* |
common St. John's-wort |
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Lapsana communis* |
nipplewort |
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Lespedeza violacea |
wand bush-clover |
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Leucanthemum vulgare* |
oxeye daisy |
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Linaria vulgaris* |
butter and eggs |
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Lonicera morrowii* |
Morrow's honeysuckle |
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Lotus corniculatus* |
bird's-foot trefoil |
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Monotropa uniflora |
Indian pipe |
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Morella caroliniensis |
bayberry |
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Oenothera perennis |
small sundrops |
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Onoclea sensibilis |
sensitive fern |
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Ostrya virginiana |
hop hornbeam |
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Oxalis stricta |
yellow wood-sorrel |
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Persicaria sagittata |
arrow-leaved tear-thumb |
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Phleum pratense* |
Timothy |
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Pilosella aurantiaca* |
Devil's paintbrush |
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Pilosella officinarum* |
mouse-ear hawkweed |
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Pilosella piloselloides* |
glaucous-leaved hawkweed |
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Pinus rigida |
pitch pine |
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Pinus strobus |
white pine |
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Podophyllum peltatum |
may apple |
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Polygala sanguinea |
blood milkwort |
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Prunella vulgaris* |
self-heal, heal-all |
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Pycnanthemum tenuifolium |
narrow-leaved mountain-mint |
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Quercus alba |
white oak |
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Quercus coccinea |
scarlet oak |
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Quercus rubra |
red oak |
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Ranunculus acris* |
tall buttercup |
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Rosa carolina |
Carolina rose, pasture rose |
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Rubus occidentalis |
black raspberry |
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Rumex crispus* |
curly dock |
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Securigera varia* |
crown vetch |
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Solidago altissima |
tall goldenrod |
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Solidago bicolor |
silverrod |
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Solidago gigantea |
late goldenrod, smooth goldenrod |
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Solidago nemoralis |
gray goldenrod |
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Solidago rugosa |
rough-stemmed goldenrod |
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Symphyotrichum laeve |
smooth aster |
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Symphyotrichum lateriflorum |
calico aster |
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Symphyotrichum novae-angliae |
New England aster |
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Symphyotrichum pilosum |
old-field goldenrod |
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Thelypteris noveboracensis |
New York fern |
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Tussilago farfara* |
coltsfoot |
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Vaccinium angustifolium |
lowbush blueberry |
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Vaccinium corymbosum |
highbush blueberry |
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Vaccinium pallidum |
hillside blueberry |
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Vaccinium stamineum |
deerberry |
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Verbascum blattaria* |
moth mullein |
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Verbascum thapsus* |
common mullein |
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Verbena hastata |
blue vervain |
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Verbena urticifolia |
white vervain |
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Viola sagittata |
northern downy violet |
