Windwolf
Crex Meadows ... Host to a Multitude of Flowers and Plants
Hoary Puccoon
Lithospermum canescens
Picture taken June 1, 2007
There are two types of Puccoon currently listed as found in the meadows.The Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) and the Carolina Puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense).
I am listing these as Hoary Puccoon due to the time of year the photos were taken. Its is reported the Hoary Puccoon is the early flowerer and the Carolina Puccoon flowers a bit later in the season.
I have not developed the skills to identify each type and while researching on the www, I found there are some suggestions for this.
The easiest method, (though I dont know if it is failsafe) is to hold the stem and leaves brushing your hand along them to feel how stiff the hairs are. It is suggested that the Hoary Puccoon hairs feel stiff where the Carolina Puccoon feels velvety.
Some sites suggest the Carolina Puccoon has a more orange flower where the Hoary is more yellow. Other sites suggest this is not failsafe in identification.
Other sites list the shape of the leaves being a marker, some sites dispute this.
One thing I do know is this flower stands out greatly in the fields and forest edges of the Meadows.
Many of the early butterflies can be found sipping nectar from these flowers including the swallowtails, Monarchs, Skippers and Checkerspots.
I find no listing of caterpillars who use the Hoary Puccoon as their host plant, however I did find this one type of caterpiller climbing a Hoary Puccoon in Crex Meadows. It is possible that the caterpillar was looking for a place to cocoon. There were two individuals in this area but only one on a Hoary Puccoon. I have not identified the caterpiller yet (November 2007).
Picture on right taken June 6, 2007
Picture below take June 6, 2007
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants | |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants | |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta | Seed plants | |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants | |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons | |
| Subclass | Asteridae | ||
| Order | Lamiales | ||
| Family | Boraginaceae | Borage family | |
| Genus | Lithospermum L. | stoneseed | |
| Species | Lithospermum canescens | hoary puccoon |
