Trunk from what is probably a Black Locust, Robinia pseudoacacia,
colonized by a community of crustose lichens [study]
on the Konza Prairie, near Manhattan Kansas. March 2008.
Tis indeed a lovely image--but it's not a sycamore. Did Dave tell you it's a sycamore? Looks like one of the locusts to me--maybe a Kentucky Coffee bean.
I'm really glad you are enjoying the Konza--one of my favorite places. One other little critique--there are no spring peepers at Konza--likely you'll be hearing Western Chorus Frogs, instead. Spring peeper populations in KS have always been restricted to one or two counties along the eastern border and I'm not sure there are any recent records....
I'm no botanist, but I too was thinking it might not be a sycamore. Sycamores are the one tree species I can identify. It does have bark but it doesn't stick around long. the barks peels off. Sycamores have a characteristic 'naked' trunk and limbs - a smooth trunk, mostly white with green/ yellow green spots.
oh, nix last comments. I connected from another site - Method and it listed the link as sycamore. The new title wasn't posted. I'm too inexperienced to disagree with the new title. So yeah, Locust it is.
thanks everyone for adding to my knowledge of trees. as a native of the west coast, i am quite capable of identifying a variety of evergreens, but the deciduous forests are generally confusing to me. i guess i should take a trees of the east coast class, or hang around with as botanist who is willing to teach me tree ID.
oddly, i knew those were lichens but i didn't even think to mention them, even though i certainly was impressed by them when i took the picture and when i published the picture here. so why would i not even think to mention them? i mystify even myself!
Tis indeed a lovely image--but it's not a sycamore. Did Dave tell you it's a sycamore? Looks like one of the locusts to me--maybe a Kentucky Coffee bean.
I'm really glad you are enjoying the Konza--one of my favorite places. One other little critique--there are no spring peepers at Konza--likely you'll be hearing Western Chorus Frogs, instead. Spring peeper populations in KS have always been restricted to one or two counties along the eastern border and I'm not sure there are any recent records....
BW
darn that dave! he made me look like an idiot!! GAH!
"darn that dave! he made me look like an idiot!! GAH!"
A complete slander; I told her it was a locust of some sort.
Sheesh.
I'm no botanist, but I too was thinking it might not be a sycamore. Sycamores are the one tree species I can identify. It does have bark but it doesn't stick around long. the barks peels off. Sycamores have a characteristic 'naked' trunk and limbs - a smooth trunk, mostly white with green/ yellow green spots.
oh, nix last comments. I connected from another site - Method and it listed the link as sycamore. The new title wasn't posted. I'm too inexperienced to disagree with the new title. So yeah, Locust it is.
great pic.
Funny, I am a botanist, and what I see is a community of crustose lichens.
thanks everyone for adding to my knowledge of trees. as a native of the west coast, i am quite capable of identifying a variety of evergreens, but the deciduous forests are generally confusing to me. i guess i should take a trees of the east coast class, or hang around with as botanist who is willing to teach me tree ID.
oddly, i knew those were lichens but i didn't even think to mention them, even though i certainly was impressed by them when i took the picture and when i published the picture here. so why would i not even think to mention them? i mystify even myself!