Gutzmer Place, September 22, 2007

Mike Gutzmer kindly invited us to his place near Columbus on the Platte River. The site is bottomland oak forest on sand, a strange combination. Western species come down the river (Rosa woodsii), and eastern ones reach their western limits near there (jack-in-the-pulpit, prickly ash). Catalpa and sycamore are rampant, both not native there. There are good swamps, and the river itself has interesting sandbars when it's low enough. There's enough purple loosestrife for everyone in the state. The vegetation is rather pristine. Seven species new to Platte county were observed.