Afternoon of October 20, 2009 (continued)

This tree is found on the south side of Fairway Drive just east of its intersection with Greenbriar Court.  It is a yew (Taxus spp.).  According to Melanie Choukas-Bradley's City of Trees, the most common yew found in our area is the English yew (Taxus baccata);  compare the Virginia Tech fact sheet.  However, it could also possibly be a Japanese yew (T. cuspidata;  compare the Virginia Tech fact sheet) or a hybrid between the two.

A close-up of the fruit, which is a naked seed (after all, this is a gymnosperm, or "naked seed" plant) surrounded by a fleshy red aril.

A goldenrod (Solidago spp.) gone to seed, with white hairy tufts emanating from the seeds, ready to carry them off.  Note that goldenrods, like dandelions and thistles, belong to the Asteraceae family;  all three genera have seeds that are dispersed by the wind through white hairy tufts.

This tree, and another one like it, are found on the southwestern corner of the intersection of Fairway Drive with North Shore Drive.  It is a Japanese pagoda tree, also known as a Chinese scholar tree (Styphnolobium japonicum), which is native of China rather than of Japan.  Compare the Virginia Tech fact sheet and this Wikipedia page.

The long seed pods that look like a string of pearls are very much in evidence now.  These pods also remind us that this plant is a member of the Fabaceae family, which also includes beans, peas, and other pod-bearing legumes.

October 1, 2009

On looking at the vegetation lining the W&OD bike path (as here, just west of Wiehle Avenue), one can't help but notice large blotches of deep red spread among the green.

On closer inspection, these blotches turn out to be large clusters of blackish berries born on purple stalks.  Despite their similar color, these are not pokeweed (which are low-crouching shrubs rather than small trees, as these), but rather the fruit of Devil's walking stick (Aralia spinosa).  See the Virginia Tech fact sheet.

The reason for its name is evident from this image - don't try touching this trunk!

Another very prickly plant is the Mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata), already described in this post.  Here it can be seen aggressively covering shrubs and even trees on the north side of the W&OD bike path west of Wiehle Avenue.

As compared to two weeks ago, most of this vine's fruit have now ripened to their characteristic blue color.

Not all the plants along the W&OD bike path are so forbidding.  There are, for example, also some nice clumps of goldenrods (Solidago spp.), as here on the south side of the path just east of Old Reston Avenue.  According to the Digital Atlas of Virginia Flora, there are 17 species of goldenrods growing in the wild in Fairfax County, and I have not even begun to study the distinctions among the specimens found here in Reston.

This might possibly be rough-stemmed goldenrod (S. rugosa) - see this Connecticut Botanical Society page - or early goldenrod (S. juncea) - see this page from same site.  Obviously I need to spend more time paying close attention to these plants.

Another plant displaying some color now is the honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), which is now bearing juicy red fruit about the same size as the autumn olive.  This particular specimen is located near the clump of goldenrods shown in the previous two pictures.  The honeysuckle has opposite leaves, while the autumn olive has alternating leaves;  moreover, the honeysuckle's red fruit lacks the silvery speckles found on the fruit of the autumn olive.

This is either Amur honeysuckle (L. maackii) - see Virginia Tech data sheet - or Morrow's honeysuckle (L. morrowii) - see Virginia Tech data sheet.  Both of these bush honeysuckles are highly invasive imports from Asia and are now on Reston's list of "8 forbidden species" that may not be planted.

Further east along the W&OD bike path, on the south side just east of Wiehle Avenue, is another clump of plants now conspicuously in fruit.  The fruit consists of pairs of very long, very thin pods or follicles.

This is dogbane (Apocynum spp.);  see this comparable image.  There are two species growing in the wild in Fairfax County, spreading dogbane (A. androsaemfolium) and Indian hemp (A. cannabinum);  however, I don't believe I will be able to distinguish them until they flower next summer, as the first blooms pink and the second blooms white.