Jan. 22, 1963
Dear Professor Graham,
Your trip to Pilot Knob and Pine Lake makes me envious! The pines at the Lake may well arouse suspicion about their origin. Before the lake was made they were more abundant, and pretty certainly native.
If you walk up river on the west side you soon pass Woodsia obtersa and Hydrophyllum appendiculatum. About 3/4 mile up you come into a broad treeless terrace with Zanthoxylum, and on the steep bank of the river Carpinus. Beyond that you pass Onoclea struthiopteris (as it used to be) and then a steep rocky bluff with absolutely native pines at the top, and below them Polypodium vulgare (as was), Aspidium marginala, A. spinulatium, A. goldreanum, Camptosurus rhizophyllus.
Farther up a road crosses the river. If you go east about half a mile to a farm house (on the left) you can see, across a field to the left, a high bluff which breaks off sharply to the river, hidden beyond it. On the edge of that bluff, and at 2 other farther up there are native pines. And below the bluff the farthest outpost of Betula lutea, Phagopteris dryopteris and Adoxa moschatellina, and a lot of mosses. This spot is known as Fallen Rock.
Of course you know of the outpost of white pine at Wildcat Den in Muscatine Co.
In my Vegetation of Iowa and in Fir Forests of Iowa (Proc. Ia. Acad. Sci.) the known localities of Abies are given.
The pines at Eldora and at Wildcat Den are well-leached Carboniferous sandstone, which is porous and holds lots of water. This rock supports the moss Tetraphis pellucida at the outcrop east of Ottumwa, as does the St. Peter sandstone at Giard, Iowa, and across the line in Minn. Tetraphis is usually on wet rotten logs.
You see, it is risky to start an old fellow to reminiscing! I might go on to the occurrance of Abies and the minute moss Seligeria pusilla!
Thank you for your letter and best wishes.
Sincerely,
Henry S. Conard
Our orange trees were defoliated but are covered with 1/2 inch leaves now, and some flower buds. Early oranges ruined; grapefruits deteriorated; ornamentals frozen to the ground. Things come back rapidly here.
