#halberd-leaved yellow violet

[vandaliatraveler]

NC-WV is finally enjoying a dry, sunny spring weekend after weeks of near nonstop, flooding rain. That was all the incentive I needed to take my first long hike of the spring at Coopers Rock State Forest. The wildflower progression on top of Chestnut Ridge is running about 2 weeks behind that at lower elevations, but there were plenty of early spring beauties on display this afternoon. From top: Allegheny serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis); long-spurred violet (Viola rostrata); halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata); downy rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera pubescens); trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens), which is not herbaceous but a mat-forming, evergreen shrub in the health family; broadleaf toothwort (Cardamine diphylla), also known as two-leaf toothwort; and round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica americana), which prefers drier woods than sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba), which I typically find growing on the rocky, calcareous slopes along the Monongahela River.

[dragoncharming]

DVaWtK Appearance Masterpost

I put together a non-exhaustive of the descriptions in Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know.

Highlights: Wenren È wears black with gold embroidery that forms the constellation with his halberd. He is an inch taller than Yin Hanjiang. Even when he loses an arm, he projects an illusion that it's there.

Yin Hanjiang wears all black, then red with a silver belt. Wenren È notes that he doesn't stash his sword away. He starts with the red demonic sword that's forged into Army Crushing Sword/Spike which is black.

Baili Qingmiao wears her sect uniform that's yellow. She keeps her white silk weapon wrapped around her waist. She is a head shorter than Qiu Congxue who is noted as being on the taller side.

Shu Yanyan has the most outfit changes.

The commenters call Wenren È a 'pretty boy.'

The quotes are simply pulled in reading order.

YHJ: "wearing all black, a frosty expression on his face."

SYY: "a woman in purple clothes arrived leisurely. What she was wearing could less be called clothes and more a strip of purple gauze wound around her body, barely covering any vital areas, and instead outling her alluring figure, capturing people's attention." "While talking, she brought out a mirror and inspected her face, which looked no older tha a sixteen-year-old girl's" "a woman in a thin white robe and a pipa in hand" "This woman was Shy Yanyan. The two had gotten used to seeing her in revealing clothes, and this proper and pitiful Shu Yanyan like a white lotus flower that trembled in the wind looked really out of place to them."

BLQM: "Being the protagonist of a novel, Baili Qingmiao’s appearance had no flaws. She wore the buttercup yellow dress of the female disciples of Shangqing Sect, hair tied in a simple bun with an ordinary multicolored string. A fresh peach blossom was stuck in her hair, and her face held the same gentle flush as its petals. A few strands of hair fell elegantly across her forehead and framed her face, clear and free from makeup. She wore a pair of light yellow bead earrings and was filled with a youthful grace." -she also often has Moonlit Frost Silk around her waist snow version Violet Pavilion Master: "the wind and snow solidified into a woman in white. She had white hair and brows and lustrous skin like snow. Even her eyes were a pure white, with no pupils. She may have been a person, but she seemed more like a sculpture made of ice and snow." not snow: "The blue-robed woman bore the same features as the snow woman, but she had the complexion of a living person and black hair and eyes."

WRE: "Wenren È held his halberd in one hand. It was the same gold-threaded black as his robe, though now Baili Qingmiao could see that the gold on his robes and halberd linked together to form a diagram of the star Polis. As gold light shimmered on the black cloth, Polis in the sky above gave off a brilliant radiance."

YHJ about General WRE: “This subordinate saw the Venerable, wearing silver armor with a spear in hand, draped in a red cloak, leading a group of battered soldiers to face the invading forces.”

SYY: "Shu Yanyan looked up, and the seductive warmth in her eyes had vanished, only leaving ruthlessness. In her white robe, she seemed like a blooming spider lily, softly beckoning, leading the lost to the next shore."

Altar Master Miao (bug guy): "a purple robe flashed before him and he collapsed. The feminine and androgynous-looking Altar Master Miao"

QCX: "Qiu Congxue was over a thousand years old, but still appeared as a young woman, with smooth pale skin and jet-black hair, fine brows, and elegant eyes. They were tender yet heartless, making her a cold, distant beauty." blqm gives qcx "a light green gown, something that Wenren È had previously given to her." "The gown suited her very well. With her tall stature and slender waist, she seemed like a thin willow. Baili Qingmiao looked at her for a moment, then took out an ordinary jade hairpin she had bought and helped pin up Qiu Congxue’s hair." qcx loses an arm at the Golden Cliffs wre cuts his own arm to forge the sword YHJ w army crushing sword: "Suddenly, a metallic sound rang out from within the lightning, and a sword flash slashed through it, surging toward the heavens, charging into the storm and resembling a black dragon that thrashed within the clouds. After a flurry of other sword flashes, the stormclouds dissipated. Yin Hanjiang’s clothes were tattered and he held a sword in one hand, raised toward the clouds it had cleaved in one strike. Its blade, hilt, and tassel were all pure black, blade sparkling with points of light like stars."

-yhj takes out the ghost mask first this timeline when they're going back to the sect after the Sect War

SYY: "They ran into Shu Yanyan right in the sect’s main hall, wearing a set of lavish red robes" "Shu Yanyan’s red robe was a top-grade defensive item, so she disregarded the masked man who suddenly appeared, assuming he was one of the Altar Masters’ underlings. She raised a sleeve to block, but the blade cleaved through the robe and her arm alike."

Alter Master Shi: "Altar Master Shi was a pale and sickly-looking young man who looked like a scrawny intellectual-type."

to the Zhongli Clan: "Just like in old days, the Lord of Demons was accompanied by his two Protectors. His Left Protector stood at the side of his missing arm, while the Right Protector held a pipa, a silk veil over her face. She wore a thin blue robe which accentuated her figure, and was playing the pipa for Wenren È. Inadvertently, she let the scar on her right arm show. It stood out starkly against her fair skin and must’ve been caused by some terrible injury, garnering the pity of anyone who saw it."

ZLQ: "The highest ranking was Zhongli Qian, looking cultured and refined as he entered slowly, wearing white robes with a bamboo scroll in hand. He took the main seat, his bearing distinguished, each motion calm and at ease." "Zhongli Qian smoothly took the brush out of his hand, turned around, and wrote a poem across a wall. His bearing was dignified, his brush strokes free and graceful. Flecks of ink landed on his white sleeve, blossoming through the fabric. His literacy and bearing both stopped people in their tracks."

the commenters quoting Abusive Romance about BLQM: "big sparkling eyes" "In Abusive Romance, Baili Qingmiao often said that Zhongli Qian always looked tired, and that she wished he would relax a bit, smile a little easier."

Shi Congxin: "a sickly man sitting beside her. He looked young, not more than his twenties, and his skin was so pale that his fingertips appeared a bit translucent in the lamp light. He wore a thin white single robe with a black overcoat thrown over, its dark brown fur collar making his face look even paler by contrast. His long eyelashes were lowered as he focused on the needle in his hand."

*He curses BLQM's left eye. She uses her right eye for the next 30 years. She uses a black band to cover her eye. ZLQ uses white and a walking cane.

ZLQ: "He had a slight smile that put people at ease, and truly fit the expression of a gentleman being unparalleled in the world." "It seemed that his hair had turned white overnight twenty-two years ago. With white hair and a young appearance, he appeared even more like an immortal now." "He tied up his hair, fixing up his appearance."

The star of the show, Rod of Heartbreak: "Su Huai was swinging his bonded weapon at her—the Rod of Heartbreak. The Rod of Heartbreak was forty meters long and as thick as Baili Qingmiao’s waist. Zhongli Qian and Qiu Congxue’s help had been needed to refine it. It was capable of changing size to the wielder’s will." "Su Huai, having missed Baili Qingmiao, spun the rod in his hand and transformed it into two thin sticks, about to whack her again."

Violet Pavilion Master 2!: "a young man in lavish silver robes emerged. He swept his gaze over Baili Qingmiao’s face and said, “Perhaps we met in another life.” His black hair was gathered together by a silver band, with a few loose strands draped over his shoulders. He had cold elegant eyes and colorless lips, and upon catching sight of Baili Qingmiao, had shown a smile without any hint of warmth."

YHJ disguising WRE (as himself): "Yin Hanjiang was quite tall, just an inch shorter than Wenren È. He gazed intently at Wenren È’s face, shaping it carefully. After he created a face, he hesitated, and was about to wipe it out and start over when Wenren È said, “Are you done yet? Let me see.” "With a flick of a finger, a mirror of ice appeared before him. Wenren È stared silently at the face in the reflection. "This was exactly the same as his face. Only the eyes were slightly different, looking a bit more relaxed and resembling the General Wenren stationed at the border town one hundred years ago."

Violet: "He raised his hands, ringing a pair of golden bells tied to his wrists."

QCX: "Hot winds stirred her black robe, revealing her body which was half flesh and half bone." "Half of Qiu Congxue’s face slowly turned into a skull."

at the volcano: "In their twenty-two years of travelling together, this was the first time Su Huai had seen Zhongli Qian’s eyes. They were stunningly bright and perceptive eyes, calm and penetrating. "Using the tracking curse, Zhongli Qian could see what no one else could. "He saw how, as Baili Qingmiao charged into the flames, they parted for her and opened up a path. The flames feared her, yet wished to harm her. She sustained burns one after another, but she didn’t flinch, continuing her search." "A figure covered head to toe with soot charged out of the sea of flames. She held a silver silk sash, the other end tied around several dozen unconscious Violet Spirit Pavilion disciples. One of them carried a mature stalk of the Lockheart Herb. "Baili Qingmiao’s legs had been burned and she could only stand by leaning against Su Huai. She wiped at the ash on her face"

BLQM: "She looked directly at the elders seated above her, her gaze unwavering." "Her back was straight, and it seemed her tiny shoulders could hold up the weight of the world."

BLQM's Moonlit Frost Silk is destroyed at the Blood Hell trap. YHJ's original ghost mask crumbles after.

Army Crushing: "the Army Crushing Sword, which had been sitting silently on the ground, lunged up and pierced through the whip. It had changed its shape, no longer a longsword, but a vicious-looking triangular spike. "It was no longer the Army Crushing Sword, but the Army Crushing Spike."

While WRE is in the Blood Hell, QCX loses most of the rest of her flesh and when YHJ returns the rest of it.

YHJ: "Deputy Sect Leader Yin, wearing a crimson robe, with a silver belt that outlined the slim shape of his waist."

BLQM's depression era: "Baili Qingmiao didn’t notice that Yin Hanjiang had cut several gashes into her dress." "She could only slowly shrink to the other side of the bed, huddling in her blanket, looking pitifully weak and powerless."

WRE post-blood hell: "He wore only a white inner robe, covered with holes made by magical weapons. With a wave of his hand, a grey robe draped itself over his body. Along with the robe appeared three books and a blood-red stone."

"As if the person wearing them had vanished, the grey outer and white inner robe passed through Wenren È’s body and gently landed on the ground. Though both his clothes had fallen, Wenren È still appeared to be wearing the black robe he had used to protect Yin Hanjiang."

looking 👀: "He had never seen Yin Hanjiang like this before. The Sect Leader Yin he remembered dressed in all black and was silent as a shadow. Though Wenren È knew he was good-looking, ordinarily, he was so reserved he was easy to overlook. "This Yin Hanjiang dressed in scarlet, his hair loose and fluttering in the breeze, a vicious spark in his eyes. Were he in a crowd, his figure would instantly draw one’s sight."

SYY: "Shu Yanyan went pale, her previously languid and unconcerned expression instantly becoming serious. She had been wearing a thin light purple outfit which traced her perfect curves, but the moment Yin Hanjiang’s gaze fell on her, a white cloak appeared over her body, covering her from neck to toe so that not an inch of skin showed."

BLQM: "Yin Hanjiang tore a piece off Baili Qingmiao’s clothes to wipe his hands, then tossed it at Yao Jiaping’s face."

WRE: "Wenren È also brought out an ordinary dark blue robe and put it on. He clutched the divine blood tight in one hand, hooking Yin Hanjiang’s waist with the other so that he couldn’t escape." "Zhongli Qian turned toward Shi Congxin. His eyes were blindfolded, yet Shi Congxin had a feeling like all his thoughts were exposed in front of him. It must be his imagination—it was just the moonlight shining through a window and illuminating Zhongli Qian’s face, that was giving him such a strange feeling." "Shi Congxin avoided looking at Zhongli Qian, scared his intentions would be seen through. Staring at the Sect Master, he saw Wenren È dip his head, drawing closer and closer to Yin Hanjiang’s face, until Shi Congxin’s face and ears flushed red. He stared unblinking, trying to figure out what the Sect Master was actually doing, but Wenren È’s long hair slid down and blocked the two’s faces from view."

ghost mask 2!: "Shi Congxin took out a top-grade piece of underworld iron from his storage item, something he was saving for crafting a bonded weapon when he reached Mahayana. “It doesn’t need to be so… whatever, you can go.” Yin Hanjiang took the piece of iron and shooed Shi Congxin away. "Shaping it with his hands and the Burning Sky Drum’s fire, he very quickly turned it into a ghost mask."

BLQM: "Seeing her in such a mess, Yin Hanjiang slowly pulled her sleeve over, ripped off a piece, and used it to wipe nonexistent dust off the Army Crushing Spike’s scabbard. "Every time he wanted to kill Baili Qingmiao, he used this to keep himself in check. "Having gotten half her sleeve ripped off, Baili Qingmiao’s thoughts were interrupted. She stared wordlessly at her tattered dress, not understanding what enjoyment Yin Hanjiang got out of using her as a rag." "Since Baili Qingmiao’s clothes were full of holes, she asked Yin Hanjiang to wait while she changed into something other than a rag for the Army Crushing Spike. "She had just put on the yellow uniform of the disciples of Shangqing Sect"

Blood Flame Silk: "Baili Qingmiao received it, instantly feeling her body fill with power. The stone transformed into a red silk ribbon, becoming her new bonded weapon."

This is YHJ's no touchy era so he often puts on gloves to not touch people and he transports BLQM by wrapping her entirely in rope "a bundle so that no skin showed" [while he's in Yao Jiaping's skin]

"Yao Jiaping ripped off the skin on his face, revealing an extremely handsome, yet somewhat cruel face. He smiled calmly at the Sect Master. “This Lord is Yin Hanjiang.""

WRE[mini flashback]: A wave of the halberd called up the powers of the Northern and Southern Dippers. Above Wenren È’s head, a star map formed. "Fighting intent allowed Wenren È to not feel the pain of his wounds. The power of the stars replenished his drained spiritual essence. Wenren È’s black robe fell, revealing starlight shining on his back. "It wasn’t a technique he had purposefully cultivated, but the scars left from his life-and-death experiences on the battlefield as a mortal. "The scars mysteriously connected into a map of the fourteen major stars, steadily absorbing energy from them. With a swing of the Seven Killing Halberd, the unleashed power of the stars injured all of the hundred-plus people maintaining the array."

The Big Flashback: "A pair of tiny, blackened hands held a white towel out to him. After taking it, Wenren È froze. His servant boy was gone, and in his place was a child who appeared just five or six years old. His skin was covered with purple welts, and half his flesh was rotten. He was dirty and stank, holding up a towel with trembling hands. "It was Yin Hanjiang." "In his childhood, Wenren È was a young general-in-training, always dressed in white brocade and a bit of a show-off. " '“This child was saved a little late,” Doctor Li said, shaking his head. “His left leg will probably be crippled, and there’ll be scars left all over his face and body.' "He thought he had lain low, but hadn’t considered that in the border town, there was only him who was a young teenager with good martial arts skills who spent all day leaping across rooftops. His pair of bright and scornful eyes were different from anyone else’s in the town and could be recognized at a glance."

"Yin Hanjiang’s face was covered with scars, and he had originally thought of wearing a mask, but he noticed that many people in the border town had scarred faces, and there were some with missing hands and legs, but no one looked at them differently."

"Wenren È rode a horse, carrying six-year-old little Yin Hanjiang in his lap, heading slowly toward the border with travel documents in hand. "Little Yin Hanjiang lifted a hand and touched the bandages on Wenren È’s face. '“Do I look scary?” Wenren È asked. "His hands and face were covered with burn wounds, which young Wenren Wu had inflicted himself." "Since Wenren Wu was a fugitive, in order to protect himself and not bring anyone else trouble, he threw himself into a bonfire, burning his face. Before his burns healed, he sped away from the capital, running into a checkpoint on the way where a disbelieving officer ripped off his bandages, revealing crimson and bloody flesh."

"Wenren Wu’s upper robe fell away, revealing the scars crisscrossing his body which he had gained in years of fighting at the border—the proof of him protecting his homeland."

end flashback

QCX: "A black-robed woman with a frosty expression marched into the hall—Qiu Congxue. "She hadn’t been in a good mood lately. It had taken a lot of effort to get rid of her flesh, but it had all regrown."

ZLQ: "After the curse and gu were removed, Zhongli Qian took off his blindfold. The Xuanyuan Sect main hall was bathed in sunbeams. He blinked a few times, feeling like the world he saw was different from what he remembered. His hair also slowly returned to black.

"Baili Qingmiao also removed the blindfold around her left eye."

WRE: "He couldn’t help clasping his hand under their wide sleeves."

YHJ: "Yin Hanjiang’s long hair, usually tied up neatly, was loose over the bed, with one lock being lain on by Wenren È, but he didn’t mind. He picked up a lock of their entwined hair and began playing with it."

ZLQ: "Zhongli Qian, who had been youthful and handsome for many years: … "After some thought, he replied, “After all these years at Xuanyuan Sect, I’m still a teacher of the Dao and haven’t changed.” “I know.” Shu Yanyan suddenly stood up. Stroking his chin, she said tenderly, “You’ve lost weight."

[bethanythebogwitch]

Native wildflowers collection pt 2

Continued from part 1

Wild white indigo. These grow seed pods and then break off and tumbleweed around to spread their seeds.

Blazing star. There are several species of this and I think this one is prairie blazing star

Culver's root

Daisy fleabane. This was burned and the ashes were used as a flea remedy.

Joe Pye weed

Elderberry. You can chop up the branches of this, put them in the ground, and as long as there's enough water, they will grow into new bushes.

Wild petunia (left), wild geranium (right), and wild hyacinth (bottom). I like them more than the ornamental cultivars

Showy tick trefoil. These seeds are easy to collect. Walk through the prairie for a while and you'll have a few hundred stuck to your clothes.

Tall bellflower

Heal-all

New England aster or aromatic aster. I don't know how to tell them apart. Usually purple, but sometimes you find a bright pink one.

Evening primrose

Wild onion

American bush clover

Rose mallow (left) and halberd-leafed rose mallow (left). The latter gets smaller flowers and different shaped leaves.

Tall boneflower, which is a name I'm totally using for an undead plant in D&D

Great blue lobelia

Smartweed. These are absolutely tiny.

Spring beauty, a cute little spring ephemeral

Bloodroot. These are cool, they have giant rhizomes and bright red sap.

Wild violet. These are usually purple, but sometimes you find a yellow one

Trout lily.

Virginia bluebell

Trillium. You don't get as many of these around here as we'd like because the deer go absolutely wild for them

Woodland phlox

Wild hawthorn

Continued in part 3

[tigertaurus22]

The Flower Maids, doll-sized prototype androids created by Alice to act as housekeepers and perform maintenance on the hidden chamber where the Rozen Maiden would be kept until someone was deemed worthy to ‘wind’ them up.

Each Flower Maid is color coded and are equipped with different weapons

Red- Hinageshi/Mohn (red poppy)

She wields an axe.

Blue- Sumire/Violett (violet)

She uses a mace

Green- Ajisai/Hortensie (hydrangea)

She wields a halberd

Yellow- Himawari/Sonnenblume (sunflower)

She wields a crossbow

White- Tsubaki/Kamelie (camellia)

She wields a dagger.

The Flower Maids will judge whether someone is ‘worthy’ of waking the Maidens up by asking them one simple question.

“Will you wind or will you not wind?”

All they need to do is answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If ‘yes’, the person will be led down into the basement.

If ‘no’, the Maids will leave you alone to explore the Manor. Try to steal anything, though, and they will attack.

Any other response will also prompt an attack.

Once all eight Maidens are activated and have moved out of the old manor, the Maids are programmed to either follow the Maidens and act as their servants or vacate to the N-Field where they will deactivate until someone comes looking for them

[cedar-glade]

Violaceae pt 2 electric boogaloo. a mix of rrg and other trips from the past weeks.

Some damn yellow composites, wait I meant violets. 

All ecological location notes are my own, all descriptive morphological notes are from the Ballard Ohio Link Key. 

1,2 Viola pubescence, downy yellow violet. 

Richardson preserve, on dry depositional hillside from ancient glacial outwash that’s been partially concreted. Drier section of mesic forest, associated with dry upland calceric forbe layer.

Stems 1(2), erect throughout the growing season; basal leaves 0(–2); cauline leaves clustered in uppermost 1/4 of stem length, broadly ovate to reniform, subcordate to broadly cuneate at base, broadly obtuse to rounded at apex; foliage densely pubescent throughout; stipules broadly ovate; upper surface of leaf blades gray-green

Caulescent perennials from thick rhizome, stems erect, commonly solitary, ≤ 37 cm tall; stems, foliage and peduncles gray-green to green, lower surface of leaf blades often paler, densely hirsute; leaves cauline (rarely 1 basal leaf), clustered in upper 1/4 of stem; stipules free, broadly ovate, entire or weakly erose; leaves spreading, leaf blades undivided, largest ≤ 75 × 80 mm, upper broadly ovate to reniform, lower broadly reniform, base broadly cuneate to rounded or subcordate, margins serrate, ciliate, apex broadly obtuse to rounded; chasmogamous flower ≤ 13 mm; calyx glabrous or hirtellous, eciliate or ciliate; lowest sepals linear-lanceolate to lanceolate (rarely ovate-lanceolate), acute to obtuse; auricles short and entire, not elongating in fruit; corolla wholly yellow with purple-black lines at base of petals and purple-tinged on back of petals; spur short-globose; lateral petals densely bearded with slightly clavate hairs, spurred petal glabrous; cleistogamous flowers produced after chasmogamous; capsule 7–14 mm, green drying tan or brown, unspotted, glabrous or densely tomentose; seeds 2.3–3.0 × 1.3–1.9 mm, medium orange-brown, unspotted; 2n=12.

Since this is the complex species the complex was named after, the map is not up to date nor accurate, this would be the theoretical range of both V. pubescence and members of it’s complex.

3,4  Viola glaberrima, the northern wedge leaf violet

 Found at Gladys Riley Appalachian Golden Star Lily Preserve, Scioto Co. Stand Alone, among talus, individual found appeared to have been trampled by hikers but when lifted was noticeably caulescent and not affixed to the ground nor prostrate. According to maps these are both Appalachian, but seem to have a lot of overlap with the eastern/ northern most range with Golden Star Lily. Appear on same somewhat leeched soils along calcium rich talus slopes. The key here isn’t the margin surface to Identifying the species but the way the base doesn’t form a cordate end at all, like the base of the leaves are angled upward, the leaf it’s self is ciliate and the nectar spur is globular and glabrous.  Also clavate means club shaped, look at the lateral petalloid lads on this violet, notice that the hairs are club shaped and not thin white and ciliate.

Leaf blades narrowly ovate, broadest well above the base, base cuneate to broadly rounded; margins conspicuously serrate to the tip; stem, foliage and peduncles glabrous or sparsely to moderately hirtellous with easily visible hairs; north of GA and SC

Caulescent perennials from thick rhizome, stems erect, solitary, ≤ 36 cm tall; stem, foliage and peduncles green, glabrous or sparsely to moderately hirtellous with easily visible hairs; leaves cauline (rarely 1 basal), clustered in upper 1/4 of stems; stipules free, usually strongly erose; leaves spreading, leaf blades undivided, largest ≤ 92 × 90 mm, upper narrowly ovate-lanceolate, middle and lower narrowly ovate-triangular to broadly ovate-lanceolate, broadest well above the base, base cuneate to broadly rounded, margins conspicuously serrate to the tip, eciliate or appressed-ciliate, apex short- to long-acuminate; chasmogamous flower ≤ 14 mm; calyx glabrous or hirtellous along midvein, eciliate or ciliate; lowest sepals lanceolate, acute; auricles short and entire, not elongating in fruit; corolla wholly yellow with purple-black lines at base of petals and purple-tinged on backs of petals; spur short-globose; lateral petals densely bearded with slightly clavate hairs, spurred petal glabrous; cleistogamous flowers produced after chasmogamous; capsule 6–14 mm, green drying brown, unspotted, usually glabrous; seeds 2.7–2.8 × 1.8 mm, tan to light brown, unspotted

5,6 Viola eriocarpa,  The smooth ciliate violet (originally part of the V. pubescence complex)

Found along section of open rich forest tertiary ridge where sandstone meets dolomite strata A6 RRG.

Stems mostly 2 to several, usually decumbent at base during chasmogamous flowering, becoming erect in fruit; basal leaves (1)2–5; cauline leaves distributed over much of stem length, ovate, cordate at base, acute to abruptly short-acuminate at apex; foliage glabrous or thinly pubescent on upper stem and leaves; stipules narrowly ovate; upper surface of leaf blades medium green

 Caulescent perennials from thick rhizome, stems usually decumbent at base during chasmogamous flowering but becoming erect in fruit, commonly ≥ 2, ≤ 35 cm tall; stems, foliage and peduncles green, glabrous to sparsely (rarely moderately) hirtellous; leaves cauline and basal, basal leaves usually ≥ 2, cauline leaves well distributed along the stem; stipules free, narrowly ovate, entire or weakly erose; leaves ascending to spreading, leaf blades undivided, largest ≤ 64 × 73 mm, upper narrowly ovate to ovate and often short-acuminate, lower ovate to broadly so and acute, base subtruncate to cordate, margins serrate, eciliate or ciliate; chasmogamous flower ≤ 12 mm; calyx glabrous, eciliate or ciliate; lowest sepals linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, acute to obtuse; auricles short and entire, not elongating in fruit; corolla wholly yellow with purple-black lines at base of petals and purple-tinged on backs of petals; spur short-globose; lateral petals densely bearded with slightly clavate hairs, spurred petal glabrous; cleistogamous flowers produced after chasmogamous; capsule 7–13 mm, green drying tan or brown, unspotted, glabrous or densely tomentose; seeds 2.1–2.7 × 1.4–1.7 mm, medium orange-brown, unspotted; 2n=12

Because this species is newer, the issue arises to where we don’t know it’s complete range since most reports were filed under V. pubescence.

7,8 Viola hastata, halberd violet, 

Violet was found along highland section, near secondary ridge of muir valley in the section where rich ericaceous sandy loam was present, acidic mesic forest magnolia and lower associated Rhododendron, R. maximum along with open  Pinus echinata forest are associated with this section of ridgeline. Violet was unlike the normal variegated colored Viola hastata which made me wonder if it may have been a hybrid; but it wasn’t.

Rhizome whitish; leaf blades hastate, base subcordate to deeply cordate with basal lobes parallel or divergent; upper surface of leaf blades in life frequently bicolorous, silvery-green between the contrasting darker green veins

Caulescent perennials from thick whitish rhizome, stems erect, solitary (very rarely 2), ≤ 30 cm tall; stems, foliage and peduncles pale gray-green, upper surface of leaf blades frequently silvery-green between the constrasting darker green veins, all glabrous or upper leaf blade surface with short appressed hairs; leaves usually cauline only (occasionally with one basal leaf), clustered in upper 1/5 of shoot; stipules free, shallowly incised with 2–5 short processes especially on longer side; leaves spreading, leaf blades undivided, largest ≤ 86 × 58 mm, narrowly or broadly ovate-triangular to hastate, base subcordate to deeply cordate with basal lobes parallel or divergent, margins serrate at widest point, shallowly serrate to subentire distally, eciliate, apex acuminate; chasmogamous flower ≤ 12 mm; calyx glabrous, eciliate; lowest sepals lanceolate, sharply acute; auricles short and entire, not elongating in fruit; corolla wholly yellow with purple-brown tinge on back of petals; spur short-globose, barely exserted beyond auricles; lateral petals densely bearded with slightly clavate hairs, spurred petal glabrous; cleistogamous flowers produced after chasmogamous; capsule 7–9 mm, dark green drying brown, unspotted, glabrous; seeds 2.0–2.5(3.5) × 1.3–1.6(2.0) mm, brown, unspotted; 2n=12.

9,10  Viola spp. ??? eriocarpa hybrid????

 Caldwell Nature preserve, had basal leaves, ciliate stems, glaberous leaves, definitely  cordate non spreading, caulescent. Looked more like V. eriocarpa than V. rotundiflolia and the habitat would of been off. 

KEY : 

https://people.ohio.edu/ballardh/vgpena/violakeys.htm

[lexrius]

Introduction to the World of Jörubos: Part 2- Juld’win

The Kingdom of Juld'win

Located in the Eastern Continent in the North Eastern parts of the Suncrest Plateau is the human Kingdom of Jul’dwin; best known for their architect and agriculture. The Kingdom lies at the edge of an emerald forest of beauty and mystery. Most of the Kingdom; however, is grasslands and open fields making it a thriving ecosystem for farmers.

The land is filled with a large variety of fauna. The most well known is the Prairie stallions who make their home near the middle of Suncrest Plateu. These stallions are the most common mounts in Jörubos. Other herbavorial creatures include the suncrested deer who's antlers are used to make bows and is one of the main food sources for the Kingdom, plateau bovine who are mostly kept as farm animals but some still roam wild, and the Juld'win rams whom are also mostly farm creatures used for milk and cheese. Many birds fly the skies stick in the trees; one of which being the rainbow pheasant whose feathers are used for nobility mask and jewelry. You must beware of the many dangerous creatures who call this land their home. The lands are homes to many packs of grassland dire wolves and territories of the great bears who roam in the forest.

Worn by the royal family and its soldiers; the red and gold and white colors of the Juld'win Coat of Arms has always welcomed its visitors. With the six armed leopis gripping the halberd with a mighty roar shows the bravery and strength of the human Kingdom. The crown it wears upon its head is made of floral design indicating the agricultural side of the human Kingdom.

Currently ruled by King Aldrich Adamson Beasley; who tends to his people and protects the weak and poor. He is a righchious King who has helped his fellow Kingdoms in a time of need for their people. He is also feared in battle. The man has been to many battles as the Kingdom of Juld'win was in a state of civil war between the Western Kingdom and the Eastern Nobility of Hollows Grove. As soon as he stepped on the battlefield; the war was as good as done. He is a master swordsman who can hold his own against a hundred soldiers. For he is also known as the Ursol of Juld'win. 

Juld'win's soldiers fight as one on the battlefield. Taking after their king they fight with brutality and cunning skills. Traps and their ferocity are what these men are best known for. 

Their archers wear the mask of hawks in battle indicating that they are the best of the best for no soldier leaves the training ground without mastering their work. Human mages are extremely rare; only able to learn light and dark magic. Light mages either become healers and join the churches or Paladins and they join the Sol Crusades. 

The human religion revolves around the God Lighet; God of light, Agriculture and architecture. It is said that he built the Kingdom up from nothing but stone and his mind. He is believed to be the leader of twelve. Each one of his soldiers represents the spirit of mortals. Nemielle (Hope), Mathias (Fate), Laura (Justice), Pariah (Valor), Tyre (Willpower), Inigo (Courage) and etc. Some say he can take the form of a great Leopis to bolster the strength of his army and people tenfold.

The flora in Juld'win have always been a gem in the world of Jörubos. Many floral plants bloom year round. The spring holds the pink and white flowers that bloom near the town of Excalibrae. But like the town they hold a dark and deadly secret. Winter comes and blooms the sugar plum trees with bright violet flowers in the Emerald Groves. Winter also brings the frost lilies which bloom in the snowy terrain of Moonlit Peaks. Summer brings the orange and yellow daisies of Suncrest plateau which is a delicacy to many of its wildlife and is said to be used for healing ailments. Autumn brings the oranges and browns to the trees and bushes of the Kingdom. Many fruits and vegetables are grown in the farmlands of the Kingdom and traded all over the world.

The architecture of the Kingdom is incredible. All made of stone and marble which protects the people who reside inside. The Kingdom has three walls. The first being the farmlands where the poor and farm workers live and make their profit. Fresh rivers flow through with enough river-stone salmon to feed to their families. The second wall is the trade district. All merchants from all over the world enjoy coming here. Full of festivities and culture it is enjoyed by all who walk through its gates. The final wall is the nobility and castle workers and soldiers homes. The castle lies in the middle of it all making it the biggest Kingdom in all of Jörubos.

Finally its hunters guild. Like all the others it comprises of the best hunters in all of Juld'win. With the civil war going on; they have become a safe haven for those who wanted to escape the fighting. They expanded their guild to become a village; welcoming those who seek sanctuary with the Chantry of Lighet as it's center. Priest, nuns and healers from the villages burned by the war help heal the broken bodies and spirits of the refugees.

--------------

The human Kingdom is revealed!!! 

I had to take a lot of inspirations for this so it didn’t seem too....real? I guess you could call it. Lighet and his soldiers were heavily inspired by blizzard’s archangel designs. In the future I will probably do something revolving stained glass designs for each of the religions.

The mask design was inspired by: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deviantart.com%2Fwindfalcon%2Fart%2FGold-Spiralwings-Leather-Mask-715428404&psig=AOvVaw0fQx6J9-Q4Jz3pokKKMOoV&ust=1590357695955000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCKCtt9-iy-kCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

And omg I am terrible at clothing designs. Good lord was the King’s wardrobe a mess. I literally cropped half of it because it was just awful.

Tomorrow I will reveal the last Kingdom!

Stay tuned

[vandaliatraveler]

What a gorgeous afternoon for a Mid-April hike in the Cheat River Canyon. Spring’s delicate treasures were out in full force. From top: halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata); sweet white violet (Viola blanda); broadleaf toothwort (Cardamine diphylla); Carolina spring beauty (Claytonia caroliniana); bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis); common blue violet (Viola sororia); Allegheny serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis); sweet birch (Betula lenta) catkins; and a cranky Allegheny rat snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) newly out of hibernation.   

[vandaliatraveler]

A young spring honey bee clings to another new arrival - a halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata) - at Coopers Rock State Forest.

[vandaliatraveler]

You descend into the canyon on an old logging road long ago forgotten by the rest of the world, into rich, damp woods that suddenly grow quiet and still, except for an occasional junco flitting through the dripping underbrush. You stop to get your bearings. A tree near you has been shredded into a million soft, wet splinters by a bear. Closer, a racoon has left its delicate prints in the sediment at the edge of a pooling stream, where it came searching for crayfish last night. You stoop under a branch and step to your left onto a moss-covered rock. You catch your balance. The stream falls away below your feet in a cascade of foamy whitewater, churning through boulders and rhododendron thickets to its final destination. You recognize something familiar in a place that you have never been to before - the ancient, connective energy that resonates through all wild places. You are home. 

[vandaliatraveler]

Above are a few spring treasures I discovered during a short hike on Glade Run Trail in Coopers Rock State Forest this morning. I was looking for trailing arbutus, but there’s plenty else to find this time of year. Wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) and Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) were already poking up through the leaves. I also found sweet white violet (Viola blanda), halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata), and early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum).

[vandaliatraveler]

Appalachia is home to many beautiful spring violets (Viola), far too many to highlight in individual posts.  So above is a hit parade of some of the usual suspects (photos from various locations in North-Central West Virginia): 1. downy yellow violet (Viola pubescens); 2 - 3. halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata); 4. sweet white violet (Viola blanda); 5 - 6. marsh blue violet (Viola cucullata); 7. long-spurred violet (Viola rostrata); 8. Canada violet (Viola canadensis); 9. common blue violet (Viola sororia); and Appalachian blue violet (Viola appalachiensis), which occurs only in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.

[vandaliatraveler]

Above are a few more early spring mementos from my hikes around Coopers Rock State Forest this past weekend. I mostly followed the core loop trails: Clay Run, Advanced and Intermediate Ski, Headwaters, and Rhododendron. The wildflowers and early herbaceous foliage are as follows (top to bottom): trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens); downy rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera pubescens); long-spurred violet (Viola rostrata); early yellow violet (Viola rotundifolia); halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata); and three-leaved rattlesnake-root (Nabalus trifoliolatus), a.k.a., gall-of-the-earth.

[vandaliatraveler]

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) is sometimes referred to as the “redwood of the east”, and once-upon-a-time, this was absolutely the case; great expanses of virgin hemlock forest cooled headwater streams and created their own unique ecology.  But these old growth forests are largely gone now, with only a few remnant stands scattered along the Appalachian spine. A spring hike through a pristine stand of these gentle giants is an experience to be treasured, providing a rare connection to a primeval world nearly lost to us.

From top: Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum), a lover of old hemlock and spruce forests and the most beautiful and delicate of all the trilliums to bloom in this area; marsh blue violet (Viola cucullata), a moisture-loving violet with club-like hairs at the throat of its flower; heartleaf foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), which clumps gorgeously at the edges of seeps and brooks; halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata), an Appalachian endemic with sword-like leaves; and a red eft (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) on a perilous journey in search of a pond environment, where it will eventually transform into an adult newt. 

[vandaliatraveler]

At about 1200 feet above the Monongahela River, spring is finally catching up on Chestnut Ridge. Temperatures today climbed into the mid-fifties after an extended cold spell, and the streams in Coopers Rock State Forest were running full after recent rains. In another week, the forest floor will be unrecognizable from the onslaught of spring ephemerals. A few of the wildflowers making an early push (top to bottom):  wood anemone (Anemonoides quinquefolia), also known as nightcaps and windflower; broadleaf toothwort ( Cardamine diphylla), also known as crinkle root and pepper root; heartleaf foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia); twoleaf miterwort (Mitella diphylla), also known as bishop’s cap; halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata); and long-spurred violet (Viola rostrata).

[vandaliatraveler]

Halberd-leaved yellow violet (Viola hastata) is one of the more dramatic violets in Appalachia’s spring woods. Its heart-shaped leaves appear to have been pulled through a taffy machine into pointy, elongated tips. The leaf pattern vaguely resembles the working end of a Swiss halberd, thus the plant’s common name. Viola hastata thrives in the dry oak-hickory woods of the Appalachian Mountains.  The photos above were taken in Coopers Rock State Forest.