Autumn Olive

Order: Rosales

Family: Elaeagnaceae

Genus: Elaegnus

Species: E. umbellata

Identifying Characteristics:

-A woody shrub that may reach up to 20 feet in height

-yellow to cream colored flowers that appear in the spring and bunches of red berries that appear in the early fall.

- Leaves: Alternate, elliptic to ovate in outline, approximately 1 1/4 to 3 inches long, 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches wide. Upper leaf surfaces are dark green while leaf undersides are covered with grayish or silver 'scales'. Leaf margins are often wavy (undulate) and are untoothed

- Flowers: Occur in clusters of 5 to 10 in the region between the central stem and branches (axillary clusters). Individual flowers are approximately 1/2 inch long, are creamy white to yellow in color, and are also covered with silvery 'scales'

Special Adaptions:

- Autumn olive was introduced into the United States from east Asia in the 1830's and is now an invasive weed of pastures, hay fields, roadsides, and rights-of-way. Autumn olive is found from Maine to Virginia, and west to Wisconsin.

- Many things eat the berries, humans, mammals, birds, insects

Cockspur Thorn

Order: Rosales

Family: Rosaceae

Genus: Crataegus

Species: --

Identifying Characteristics:

-Crataegus, commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in therose family, Rosaceae

-growing to 5-15 m tall

-The most common type of bark is smooth grey in young individuals, developing shallow longitudinal fissures with narrow ridges in older trees.

-The thorns are small sharp-tipped branches that arise either from other branches or from the trunk, and are typically 1-3 cm long

-The leaves grow spirally arranged on long shoots, and in clusters on spur shoots on the branches or twigs. The leaves of most species have lobed or serrate margins and are somewhat variable in shape.

-The fruit, sometimes known as a "haw", is berry-like, but structurally a pome containing from 1 to 5pyrenes that resemble the "stones" of plums,peaches, etc. which are drupaceous fruit in the same subfamily.

Special Adaptions:

- native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere inEurope, Asia and North America.

-Hawthorns provide food and shelter for many species of birds and mammals, and the flowers are important for many nectar-feeding insects

-Hawthorns are also used as food plants by the larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera species

-The wood of some hawthorn species is very hard and resistant to rot. In rural North America it was prized for use as tool handles and fence posts.

Daisy Fleabane

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Erigeron

Species: E. annuus

Identifying Characteristics:

-This native annual or biennial plant is erect and up to 3' tall

-It is largely unbranched, except for a few side stems near the inflorescence at the apex

- Flower size: 1/2 inch across

- Flower color: white or pale pink rays around a yellow disk

- Flowering time: June to October

- Origin: native

Special Adaptations:

- Habitat: Fields, roadsides

- A tea from the plant was a diuretic and medicine for digestive ailments. An essential oil can be made to relieve bronchitis and cystitis

-This plant can be weedy or invasive

Tall Sunflower

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Helianthus

Species: H. giganteus

Identifying Characteristics:

- Height: 3-12 feet

- Leaf: opposite on the lower stem, upper alternate, flat, narrow, at least 3 times as long as wide,upper surface rough, lower

- Flower size: flowerheads 2-3 inches across

- Flower color: yellow

- Flowering time: July to October

- Origin: native

Special Adaptions

- Habitat: thickets, swamps, meadows

New England Aster

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Symphyotrichum

Species: S. novae-angliae

Identifying Characteristics:

-Compared to other native asters, New England aster flowers have more rays (around 40) and, usually, more intense purple color.

-Height: 3-7 feet

-Flower size: flowerheads around 1-1/2 inches across

-Flower color: purple rays around a yellow disk

-Flowering time: August to October

- hairy stem and lance-shaped leaves with entire margins

Special Adaptations:

- Habitat: Damp thickets and meadows

- New England aster can be used for roadside plantings, prairie restoration, wildlife cover.

Closed Gentian

Order: Gentianales

Family: Gentianaceae

Genus: Gentiana

Species: G. andrewsii

Identifying Characteristics:

-Plant Type: This is a herbaceous plant, it is a perennial which can reach 61cm in height (24inches)

-Leaves: The leaf arrangement is opposite. Leaves can reach 10cm in length (4inches). Each leaf is lanceolate entire and stemless.

-Flowers: The flowers have 5 Regular Parts and are up to 3.5cm long (1.5 inches). They are blue sometimes violet. Blooms first appear in mid summer and continue into mid fall. The corolla appears completely closed but can be opened at the top.

- The flowers are clustered at the top of the plant or in the axis of the top leaves. The stems are 30 to 60 cm long, lax in habit, producing sprawling plants with upturned ends ending with clusters of bee pollinated flowers.

Special Adaptations:

-Habitat: Moist fields or open woods

- The bitter root has long been used as a tonic and is known to be an appetite stimulant. The Cherokee used it as a tonic, cathartic and laxative as well as to treat a weak stomach and, oddly, hysterical affections

Field Cricket

Order: Orthoptera

Family: Gryllidae

Genus:Gryllus

Identifying Characteristics:

- Field crickets are dark brown to black crickets, 9/16 to over 1 inch long

- Females can be identified by the presence of an ovipositor, a spike-like appendage, about 0.75 inches (19 mm) long, on the hind end of the abdomen between two cerci. This ovipositor allows the female to bury her fertilized eggs into the ground for protection and development

- Males are distinguished from females by the absence of an ovipositor. At the end of the abdomen there are simply two cerci. Unlike females, however, males are able to produce sounds or chirps.

Special Adaptations:

- Life Cycle: Adult females are recognizable because of the sword-like egg laying structure (ovipositor) in addition to the two appendages (cerci) at the end of the abdomen, and their fully developed wings. Females deposit eggs in moist soil or sand. After 15 to 25 days,nymphs hatch from the eggs. They resemble adults except for their smaller size and lack of wings. Nymphs develop to adults in about 12 weeks, depending on temperature. As many as three generations may be produced per year

- Adult males chirp to mark territory and attract females.

- These crickets live in cool dark and damp habitats like caves, plumbing, under rocks, damp basements and inside privies.