Tag: Wildflower

Picture of the Day for May 11, 2013

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Yesterday I walked down my path in the woods to check if the Trilliums had opened up as I saw the bubs earlier in the week but the deer were faster than I was and they ate all three plants off to the ground level. So instead of three Trilliums, I had to take pictures of three Spring Beauty blossoms that the deer didn’t eat.

The Spring Beauty open up on warm sunny days, and close during cloudy weather or at night. They are more or less erect while open, but nod downward while closed. And today they would be nodding downward since it is snowing again!

Spring Beauties

Spring Beauties

Picture of the Day for May 10, 2013

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The Bloodroot is fragile spring flower that develops and rises from the center of its curled leaf, opening in full sun, and closing at night. Like most members of the Poppy Family, it lasts for a relatively short time. The red juice from the underground stem was used by Indians as a dye for baskets, clothing, and war paint, as well as for insect repellent. The generic name, from the Latin sanguinarius, means bleeding. It was nice to finally see some new wildflowers blooming.

The Bloodroot

The Bloodroot

Picture of the Day for April 28, 2013

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A lot of the snow has melted but there are still no wildflowers blooming. The Jack-in-the-Pulpit also called Parson-in-the-Pulpit seems like an appropriate picture to post on a Sunday. Jack (or Parson) in the Pulpit alludes to the resemblance of the spadix (Jack) in the spathe (Pulpit) to a country parson perched on an elevated stand over his congregation.

One would think that they could have given the preacher a better name than Jack since it sounds like Jack-in-the-box. Now Luke, John, Paul, Mark, James, Daniel, Nathan or Peter would be a better sounding name for a preacher.

Parson-in-the-Pulpit

Parson-in-the-Pulpit

 

Picture of the Day for March 16, 2013

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“The wild marsh marigold shines like fire in the swamps and hollows gray…”, Tennyson from the May Queen 1860

Indeed, marsh marigold’s brilliant flowers are hard to overlook after a long winter and are a member of the Ranunculaceae family, named by Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.) for plants that grow where frogs are found. Ranunculus is Latin for “little frog”.

The flowers are showy because of their bright color and relatively large size. The foliage is an attractive bright green, showing color in the wetlands in early spring.

Marsh Marigold

Marsh Marigold

Picture of the Day for March 14, 2013

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Searching for color of the first wildflower after a long winter is always a thrill of spring. I have a few bulbs that will peek its blossom up through the snow, but the hepatica is first wildflower to appear in the woods. The blue, white or pink flowers wave their color above last year’s fallen oak leaves on hairy stems that help insulate them from the cool temperatures of early spring. The three lobed, heart shaped leaves appear after the flowers bloom.

Last year with the mild winter, the hepatica were already blooming in the middle of March but this year if they tried, they would be buried under several feet of snow and they would be snowed on today too. The flowers close on cloudy days and at night to protect their pollen when pollinators are not apt to be flying. However, the cold temperatures of early April mean that there are not many potential pollinators flying about anyway. Fortunately, hepatica has the ability to self-pollinate and produce seed without the aid of insects.

Hepatica nobilis

Hepatica nobilis

Picture of the Day for March 13, 2013

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There are other spots of white in the spring after the snow finally melts. The white blossoms of the Bloodroot, wrapped in green leaves, add some of the first color in the spring time woods.

The blood of the root (when cut open) was used as a dye. A break in the surface of the plant, especially the roots, reveals a reddish sap.

Bloodroot

Bloodroot

Picture of the Day for March 11, 2013

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The white trillium might not be a flower showing pretty colors, but the white blossoms do stand out against the green and brown forest floor in the spring.

And they stand out too well for the deer. Trilliums are a favored food of white-tailed deer. Indeed if trilliums are available deer will seek these plants, with a preference for T. grandiflorum like the one pictured, to the exclusion of others. When deer foraging intensity increases, the plant becomes shorter each growing season due to the reduction in energy reserves from less photosynthetic production.

My poor trilliums where hit hard last year by the deer and it will be a miracle if any of them will blossom this year.

White Trillium

White Trillium

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