Hoppity hop hophornbeam

Yesterday afternoon I managed to ride my bike a couple of miles. That doesn't sound like much of a distance, but it WAS a couple of miles and it was on a barely-any-traffic road so I felt safe. Safe, unlike the back roads near home which have no bike lane, hardly any shoulder, and lots of turns and knolls that do not deter drivers from going as fast as possible.

Anyway, I ditched the bike at one point to look for Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), which I found, and somehow (this level of plant distraction happens a lot) I wandered off to look at fourteen other trees including Eastern Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) dripping with its hop-like fruit. Since I was on a short bike ride, all my baggies were in the car. However, improvisation is one of my middle names, so I collected enough hops for my teaching collection - into my sports bra. Then for good measure, I nipped off a dozen of the hairy, alternate, double-toothed leaves to press and laminate. Also into my sports bra.

By the time I got back to the car, I had Eastern Hophornbeam leaves popping out from my left neckline, Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) leaves from the right, acorns lumped like a third breast in the middle, and hops peeking out from my skort pocket, Bur Oak specimens will have to wait until next time.

After loading the bike, it only took a few minutes to remove my scratchy treasures, press the leaves into field guides, and sort the hops and acorns into baggies for a secure ride. I used to just pile stuff on the front seat thinking I'd sort them out when I got home but I have learned a few things over time - one important lesson is to press and bag specimens as I collect them. Score!