the · affected · provincial’s · almanack

Found in a marsh, of all places.

Went to Bartram's Garden today to help make the floral centerpieces for tomorrow night's fund raiser party. Afterwards I gathered acorns under the famous Bartram Oak (a rare hybrid between willow and red oak). Gave them the float test when they got home: those that sank were viable (the ones that are too dry or dead float). Bagged them up with damp vermiculite, and put them into the fridge for winter dormancy, and a few I planted on the wooded mount here in town. In a century, botanists will be puzzled about how they got there.

This link promises some photos from my hybrid oak collection trip yesterday. Had to sneak into the farmer's cornfield to collect the acorns and dig up the saplings; wanted to get them before the cornfield was threshed. Didn't dally too long, as I didn't want to attract the attention of the farmer's dogs; heard them, and that was close enough for my liking. Was crawling and stooping among the corn, lobbing handfuls of the acorns into the nearby woods. Must have been a funny sight, seeing these acorn plumes erupting every few minutes from within the corn.

Also found another mature hybrid oak on a trail, not far from the others. The leaf seemed to more closely resemble the Bartram Oak than the others. Couldn't find any acorns from it, though.

Potted about five saplings, and I now have a king's ransom of acorns and leaf samples. I'll likely plant the acorns in some choice areas I know, but I'll keep some for Bartram's Garden, should they interest them. I'll tend the saplings here to see what they become; if any of them look to develop definite hybrid characteristics, I'll pass them on to Bartram's Garden. Not sure if they're all hybrids, but a couple seem to have some willow oak in them. We'll see.

I've seen yellow, pink, and now blue indian pipe this summer.

Indian pipe: you are weirdoes.

A leafless, parasitic plant that feeds off beech trees. They're blooming right now.

Black Trumpet. A choice edible.

Cranefly Orchid. They can be hard to spot.

The green stain fungus (Chlorociboria aeruginascens) gives the wood a greenish blue cast. I've read that woodworkers prize this wood for inlay work, but I can't imagine how wood this deeply innoculated could possibly be useful. Anyone care to shed light on this?

Very rare, beautiful plant. Looks like a column of fire on an Indonesian illuminated painting. The divine association is fitting since it was said that the asphodel was the flower one saw in Elysium.

A fungus disguising itself as a corn muffin.