The leaves of Blackjack Oak are large, narrow at the base, and with three shallow lobes at the tip. Like Post Oaks, Blackjacks tend to have irregular canopies and crooked branches, but they never grow as large as Post Oaks.
Another tree that likes moist conditions is the Honey Locust,
Gleditsia
triacanthos. Large, branched thorns grow from the trunk and
branches, making it
something of a hazard in the home landscape. The fruits are flat, black,
and banana-
shaped. The pulp around the seeds is sweet, so that the fruits are
quickly torn apart and
eaten by animals after they fall.
Lick Creek Park is home to many woodland wildflowers. This is Lyre-leaf
Sage, a
member of the mint family (Salvia lyrata). It is quite common in
our area and in
some years puts on quite a show. It is not a fussy plant, equally at
home in the woods as
in a vacant lot or someone's front yard.
Daisy Fleabane, (Erigeron sp.) has daisy-like heads with many
narrow white rays.
The local species are very difficult to tell apart. Some people call
these Marguerites.
White Penstemon (Penstemon laxiflorus or australis,
depending on whom
you ask...) is an unexpected treat in late spring. A modified fifth
stamen makes a bearded
yellow "tongue" poking out of the flower, hence its other common name--
Beardtongue.
Because this is Texas and the woods are drier than those "back east," we
have some
plants that some people would never associate with the forest. Prickly
Pear Cactus,
Opuntia lindheimeri?, is one of these. All it asks for is
well-drained, sandy soil
and an opening in the canopy to provide sunlight.
The flowers of Prickly Pear are often a rich, bright yellow, though some
can be maroon or
wine-colored. This is probably O. lindheimeri.
In sharp contrast to cacti, Lick Creek Park is also home to some plants
more typical of
boggy areas. In moss cushions along the path are Sundews, Drosera
annua.
Using droplets of sticky fluid, these little plants (each about as broad
as a dime or penny)
trap insects and digest them. This supplements their nitrogen intake.
One of the
drainages in the park is called Sundew Creek.
The park is also home to several species of orchid. Spiranthes
parksii, the
Navasota Ladies' Tresses, is found in only a few counties in Texas and is
on the
endangered species list. Part of the reason the park was established was
to set aside
habitat for this plant. October and November are the only months you'll
see them in
flower.
This is Spiranthes cernua, a close relative of the Navasota
Ladies' Tresses. It is a
fall bloomer too, and can be found in the same type of habitat--Post Oak
Woods along
natural drainages and woodland paths. Both are fairly inconspicuous even
in flowering
time--a single stalk to about 1 foot high with white to cream or slightly
greenish flowers.
Telling the two apart requires practice and careful field observation
because you may also
encounter forms that appear somewhat intermediate like this example of
Spiranthes
cernua.
Ladies' Tresses flowers appear without leaves. The leaves come up in the
spring to make
food for the plant. They wither and disappear long before fall. It is
common for many
temperate orchids to produce leaves and flowers at different times.
There are spring-and summer-flowering species of Spiranthes too.
This is
Spiranthes vernalis, which puts in an appearance in the spring.
No confusing this
one with the S. parksii!
Occasionally we spot other orchids in the park. Grass Pink, Calopogon
oklahomensis, is rare along Sundew Creek. Until recently, this plant was thought to be C. tuberosus, but it is in fact a separate species.
At this point in the trip, we have begun crossing small drainages, moving
slightly
downhill all the time. Water Oak (Quercus nigra) begins to be part
of the canopy.
These are large trees with a more rounded, regular canopy and straighter
branches than
the Post or Blackjack Oak. The trunks often have horizontal bands of
white lichen.
These stripes make the tree recognizable even in the leafless state.
Water oak leaves are usually somewhat spatulate: narrow at the base,
broader at the tip,
and smaller than Post Oak or Blackjack leaves. Leaves of young plants or
of water
sprouts, however, may have all sorts of different shapes, many with teeth
or lobes. New
leaves in spring are a bright, "poisonous" acid green.
