Notes from the Field: A Discovery Close to Home
Some botanical discoveries happen in remote forests or tucked-away wetlands. Others happen close to home, along a familiar path you decide to explore again. Earlier this week, I had one of those moments on the west side of Athens.
In my years as an amateur botanist, few things have captured my attention quite like the remnants of Georgia’s historic prairies and the unusual plant species that persist in these increasingly rare habitats. Today, power line rights-of-way can serve as important refuges for prairie remnants, providing the open, sunny conditions many of these plants need. For the past two years, I’ve had a hunch that if I ever found kidney-leaf rosinweed (Silphium compositum var. compositum), it would be growing in one of these places.
While riding my bicycle, I decided to revisit a power ROW I hadn’t explored in quite some time. The ROW was accessible to the neighborhood with a mowed path and planted fig trees along the lower sections. As I admired the blooming liatris, goldenrod, and Pityopsis, a distinctive set of basal leaves caught my eye.
My heart jumped. I flipped a leaf over to check its features and rule out a look-alike, pale Indian plantain (Arnoglossum). The leaves were stiff and smooth, almost like cardstock, but not waxy. Could it really be the plant I’d been searching for?
That evening, with help from a recognized botanist, I confirmed the identification and learned something even more exciting: the species apparently hadn’t been documented with an herbarium specimen in the area since 1926 or 1927. Nearly 100 years!
After two years of searching, I’d found it when I least expected it. The plant hasn’t flowered yet, but I’m hopeful that next year it will have stored enough energy to put on a show.
Until then, I’ll keep exploring the places close to home, looking for the unique and often overlooked plants that make our region so special. You never know what you might find when you slow down, look closely, and return to a familiar place with fresh eyes.
-Issac Ostrom, ORLT Land Steward
