WOODS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE

Specter of the forest

STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

Ienjoy reading — always have. One of my favorite books is Wilson Rawls’ 1961 classic, Where the Red Fern Grows. The author reveals the origin of the title of his fiction novel through his young protagonist, Billy Colman, who lived in the Oklahoma Ozarks:

“I had heard the old Indian legend about the red fern. How a little Indian boy and girl were lost in a blizzard and had frozen to death. In the spring, when they were found, a beautiful red fern had grown up between their two bodies. The story went on to say that only an angel could plant the seeds of a red fern, and that they never died; where one grew, that spot was sacred.”

Ohio has its own version of a “red fern,” a plant eerie and haunting, mysterious and ephemeral, yet at the same time beautiful and delicate — it’s known as “ghost plant” or “ghost pipe.” Native American tribes were familiar with it, which is why the plant is sometimes also called “Indian pipe.” To botanists, it is Monotropa uniflora.

The plant grows in such deep, dark forests and is so short-lived that I’ve only seen a handful during a lifetime of wandering the woods. One was growing along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, spotted during a day hike with my wife. Several other plants I’ve stumbled across here in Ohio (not literally, thankfully), but not often. Each serendipitous find is truly a special event to be celebrated and, of course, photographed.

Above: A ghost plant found in Ohio; left: A ghost plant found along the Appalachian Trail, McAfee Knob, near Roanoke, Virginia. “They’re pretty common but also pretty easily overlooked, as they have no bright colors to catch one’s eye,” says Jim McCormac, retired from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and one of Ohio’s leading botanists. “They tend to bloom during the dog days of summer, when not as many people are traipsing about the woods with all the heat, humidity, and biting deer flies. The plant’s been documented in at least 50 Ohio counties and probably occurs, or has occurred, in all 88.”

An herbaceous perennial, ghost plants are usually waxy-white, sometimes a pale pink, and often flecked with black specks. Even more rare, such as Wilson Rawls’ storied fern, a few ghost plant variants can be colored a deep red.

Ghost plants lack the green coloring of most plants because they do not produce chlorophyll. Rather, they are (big-word alert) mycoheterotrophs, simply meaning they feed on fungi associated with certain trees, often beeches. This parasitic relationship allows the ghost plant to live on the forest floor in areas of dense canopy cover, where summer sun cannot penetrate.

Usually, several individual plants grow in a group, as high as a foot tall, looking like white, scaly clay pipes that have been stuck into the ground on their stems. A good time to search for ghost plants is a few days after a rainfall.

Now, mid- to late-summer, is the time of year to look for a ghost plant. Take a hike at a state park, state nature preserve, or another mature forest location to search for one. And to prepare for the experience, you just might read Where the Red Fern Grows. If you happen to know of any food or medicinal value associated with ghost plants and would like to share that information, you may contact me by email at whchipgross@gmail.com. I will then, in turn, share the information with other OCL readers in a future online “Ask Chip” column.

Ask chip!

Email Chip Gross with your outdoors questions at whchipgross@ gmail.com. Be sure to include “Ask Chip” in the subject of the email. Your question may be answered on www.ohiocoopliving.com!

www.ohiocoopliving.com

— A DELICIOUS GIFT — FROM PERDUE FARMS! — A DELICIOUS GIFT — FROM PERDUE FARMS! For a limited time, enjoy this special introductory package of tender, juicy Perdue chicken. Plus, dessert’s on us! For a limited time, enjoy this special introductory package of tender, juicy Perdue chicken. Plus, dessert’s on us! $69OFF $69OFF

For A Limited Time Perdue Farmer’s Feast

For A Limited Time2 Trays – Diced Chicken Breasts (2.4 lb.) 2 Trays – Chicken Breast Strips (2.4 lb.) Perdue Farmer’s Feast 2 Trays – Thin-Sliced Chicken Breasts (2.4 lb.) 1 Bag – Boneless Chicken Breasts (2 lb.) 1 Bag – Boneless Chicken Breasts (2 lb.) 2 Trays – Diced Chicken Breasts (2.4 lb.) 1 Package – Organic Ground Chicken (1.5 lb.) 1 Package – Organic Ground Chicken (1.5 lb.) 2 Trays – Chicken Breast Strips (2.4 lb.) 4 Twice Baked Stu ed Potatoes (20 oz.) 4 Twice Baked Stu ed Potatoes (20 oz.) 2 Trays – Thin-Sliced Chicken Breasts (2.4 lb.)FREE - 2 Chocolate Tru le Cheesecakes (7 oz.) - 2 Chocolate Tru le Cheesecakes (7 oz.) 1 Bag – Boneless Chicken Breasts (2 lb.) 1 Bag – Boneless Chicken Breasts (2 lb.)FREE - 2 Strawberry Cheesecakes (7 oz.) - 2 Strawberry Cheesecakes (7 oz.) 1 Package – Organic Ground Chicken (1.5 lb.) 1 Package – Organic Ground Chicken (1.5 lb.)FREE - 2 New York Cheesecakes (7 oz.) - 2 New York Cheesecakes (7 oz.) 4 Twice Baked Stu ed Potatoes (20 oz.) 4 Twice Baked Stu ed Potatoes (20 oz.)

FREE - 2 Chocolate Tru le Cheesecakes (7 oz.) FREE - 2 Strawberry Cheesecakes (7 oz.) FREE - 2 New York Cheesecakes (7 oz.) - 2 Chocolate Tru le Cheesecakes (7 oz.) - 2 Strawberry Cheesecakes (7 oz.) - 2 New York Cheesecakes (7 oz.) Your Price $78.99 $148.91* Separately

ENJOY 6

ENJOY 6 FREE HANDMADE CHEESECAKES FREE CHEESECAKES HANDMADE CHEESECAKES CHEESECAKES

Call

Your Price

1.800.473.7383

$148.91* Separately $78.99 Ask For Feast 50

– OR –www.PerdueFarms.com/feast50

— OUR CHICKEN ARE RAISED WITH —

Call 1.800.473.7383

Ask For Feast 50No Antibiotics Ever 100% Veg Fed — PERDUE FARMS PERKS — – OR –www.PerdueFarms.com/feast50 Guaranteed Quality Home Delivery

O er Expires 11/30/2022. Not valid with any other o ers. *Savings shown based on total of single item base price. Introductory S&H added per address. Only available in — OUR CHICKEN ARE RAISED WITH — — PERDUE FARMS PERKS — select states. Limited one order per household. Valid for new customers only. Visit Perduefarms.com or call 1.800.473.7383 for full Terms and Conditions. *All pictures shown are for illustration purposes only. Product is frozen at peak freshness and carefully packaged in eco-friendly shipping material to ensure safe delivery. No Antibiotics Ever 100% Veg Fed Guaranteed Quality Home Delivery