The Earth Laughs in Flowers

Ah, spring is finally upon us once more with its flush of life coming back into the world.  The last breath of winter's chill has finally withdrawn from our weary landscape, chased off by the sun's waxing strength and presence.  It has been a bit of a slow start to the season this time around but that has done little to quell the anticipation and excitement in your blogger for the reemergence of his wildflower friends.  Months of frozen daydreams and faithful patience have melted into reality and not a day too soon.

Amid the rain showers and intermittent sunshine of the past week, I made time to get out and about to see what early bloomers were up and ready to get reacquainted with my camera lens.  I was not disappointed in my endeavor as spring's early bounty of wildflowers was well underway in the right spots.

Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa)

Harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa) is one of the first out of the gate each March and makes for a charming if not dainty discovery in its rich mesic woodland home.

Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale)

Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale)

Spring has not truly arrived for this botanist until he's laid eyes on the ephemeral snow trillium (Trillium nivale). Its beauty is nigh on unrivaled and seems an appropriate choice to help pack away the winter blues.

Round-lobed Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba)

Round-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) comes in a wide variety of color forms; from pure white to electric blue and everything in-between.  This patch happened to be a soft, yet striking shade of lavender.

Goldenstar Lily (Erythronium rostratum)

Goldenstar Lily (Erythronium rostratum)

The goldenstar lily (Erythronium rostratum) is as beautiful as it is rare; which is to say "very" on both accounts. Only known from two populations in extreme southern Ohio, this seemingly auriferous wildflower only unfurls its tepals in the most abundant of sunshine.

Fibrous-rooted Sedge (Carex communis)

Those with a keen and careful eye might notice some of the woodland sedges coming to life this time of year, like the early-blooming fibrous-rooted sedge (Carex communis).  Their flowering culms have a beauty all their own, as long as you don't compare them to things like the aforementioned goldenstar lilies.

White Trout-lily (Erythronium albidum)

White Trout-lily (Erythronium albidum)

I'm not sure what aspect of the white trout-lily (Erythronium albidum) I find more pleasing and visually-appealing: their drooping, delicate cream flowers or their thick, leathery leaves reminiscent of trout skin.  Perhaps it's just easiest to admit the whole plant is spectacular.

Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica)

They may be a dime a dozen in just about any forested landscape or fallow lawn but what would spring really be without a carpet of spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) fully opened under a sunny and blue April sky.

Leatherwood (Dirca palustris)

Leatherwood (Dirca palustris)

As a purveyor in the botanically unique and unusual, few early bloomers come close to the leatherwood (Dirca palustris) in that respect.  This small shrub's fuzzy buds quickly swell come spring before peeling ack to reveal its clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers.

Pennywort (Obolaria virginica) 

The fleshy, succulent-like pennywort (Obolaria virginica) is an inconspicuous denizen of the forest floor and easily blends in among the residual leaf litter.  Its flowers can range from a purplish-blue to creamy white and are not what you'd first think of for a member of the gentian family (Gentianaceae).

Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum)

Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum)

One of the most auspicious signs of spring is the mass emergence of wild leek (Allium tricoccum) leaves in rich woodlands throughout the state.  They won't flower until later in the summer under the shadows of a fully leafed out canopy but their fresh leaves can add some zest to any meal or act as a snack on the go, if you like onions that is.

It won't be too much longer before the newly minted spring season speeds up and gets into full swing with dozens more wildflowers coming into existence and dazzling the landscape with their diverse colors, shapes, and beauty once more.  That being said I hope to be there to capture it in the wild and replicate it on your computer monitors for your enjoyment.

Spring Wildflower Slideshow

Hello to all and rest assured I am alive and well!  I have received a number of emails from concerned followers and readers the past couple months curious where I've been and what's caused my continued absence from this blog but no need to worry.  I had decided to take a step back and focus on other things for a while and come back to this blog when the energy and drive returned on its own volition and I'm happy to say it has!  I have a lot to catch up on and hope to bring you as much of the spring season as I can before it quickly sets into summer; something that will happen sooner than later this year.  It seems I chose an unintentionally terrible time for my hiatus as this spring has rocketed out of the gate at a record pace!

A warm and mild winter transitioned into an early spring with the first true ephemerals showing their faces in mid to late February before the floodgates fully opened in March.  Nearly constant temperatures in the 70's and even 80's throughout March led to many species breaking bud and blooming weeks ahead of schedule.  I've seen some interesting species combinations that normally aren't seen due to such different blooming schedules but all that has gone out the window this year.  If someone were to keep me locked away for an undisclosed amount of time and upon release was told to guess the date based on the progression of the flora I would have confidently surmised late April in mid-March.  In fact, this past March was the warmest on record for the entire United States.  I certainly don't doubt it looking back on days spent in sweat-drenched shirts and a sunburned face.  I can't recall ever feeling sticky and steamy a la July in March.  Bleh.

Luckily I found some time to head outside and catch the spring wildflower show as it progressed at a record rate the past month and a half.  At this time last year my species list had barely cracked 100 plants while I have already surpassed 200 this season.  Who knows what the rest of this year holds but if it's anything like this spring I'd better buckle up because it's going to be a fast ride!  To make up for the lost time here are a number of wildflower species that no Ohio spring would be complete without.  Hope you enjoy and look back often for a revived and more frequent posting schedule!

Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale)  Liliaceae: Lily family

Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa)  Apiaceae: Carrot family

Yellow Trout-lily (Erythronium americanum)  Liliaceae: Lily family

Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla)  Berberidaceae: Barberry family

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans)  Polemoniaceae: Phlox family

Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata)  Polemoniaceae: Phlox family

Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)  Liliaceae: Lily family

Long-spurred Violet (Viola rostrata)  Violaceae: Violet family

Azure Bluet (Houstonia caerulea)  Rubiaceae: Madder family

Broad-leaf Toothwort (Cardamine diphylla)  Brassicaceae: Mustard family

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)  Saxifragaceae: Saxifrage family

Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna)  Plantaginaceae: Plantain family

The Thrill of Trillium

One of the most anticipated and highly regarded times of the year has finally arrived; the awakening of the Spring ephemerals!  Even though it's only mid-March there are noticeable changes starting to happen in the woodlands across Ohio, you only need to look a little harder in the right areas.  The word ephemeral means 'brief; only lasting for a short amount of time', which is a very accurate way of describing the life cycle of the flowering plants of Spring.  These plants bloom early to take advantage of the copious amounts of sunlight that stream down through the still naked forest canopy high above their heads.  They break the soil, bloom, are pollinated and die back all by late Spring, leaving little to no evidence of their existence on the forest floor.  One of the first out of the gates this time of the year is the rare and stunning Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale).

Trillium nivale

 Also called Dwarf White Trillium, these diminutive beauties of the Liliaceae family are one of eight species of Trillium indigenous to our state. They are one of the more uncommon Trilliums and certainly the first to poke their heads above the dead and decaying leaves.  This rarity is due in part to the habitat  requirements needed to survive and reproduce successfully.  T. nivale can be found growing along the slopes of streams, rivers and ravines in undisturbed woodlands that are comprised of thin soil layered over limestone or dolomite bedrock.  These specific soil conditions are concentrated in the southwestern quarter of our state which should come as no surprise as the same area that holds our largest Snow Trillium populations.  if interested in seeing this wildflower for yourself this season your best bet is to visit Clifton Gorge state nature preserve in the next few weeks.

Trillium nivale

Trillium nivale

 The Trilliums are one of the easiest wildflowers to identify by even the most inexperienced of wildflower enthusiasts.  The best identification feature for this genus is right in their name, Trillium.  Tri of course means three and almost all parts of the Trillium plants come in multiples of three: three sepals, three petals,  three leaves and six stamens.  Even their style is tripartite in appearance.  The photo below shows the pollen covered yellow stamens and three pronged style in striking detail.  Upon closer inspection, the handsome petals give off a shiny glimmer as if they were dusted with thousands of minuscule diamonds.

Trillium come in parts of 3's

 It's not hard to understand how these plants got their common name of Snow Trillium.  Blooming so early in the season it's not uncommon to find a colony of these dainty plants ensconced in a thin layer of snow, which oddly enough does little to no harm.  Even their scientific latin designation of nivale, which translates to 'of the snow', corroborates this potential occurrence.  A fun fact about this plant is that it was first discovered and described to science from our fine state of Ohio.  I think it's just another source of pride for any botantist or nature appreciator of Ohio origin.

Trillium nivale

Trillium nivale

While rare and local in their occurrence, T. nivale can be quite numerous and form large colonies when found under the right conditions.  Reproducing primarily from their vegetative rhizomes, a single population of plants can potentially all be from the same genetic origin.  Cloning is an important and vital reproductive aspect to many plants when seed counts and germination rates are low, such as with the Snow Trillium.  While all flowers have the chance to differ in their physical appearance it seems that T. nivale and the size of its petals can vary greatly across their Ohio range.  The side-by-side photographs towards the beginning of the post were taken at Clifton Gorge and show more thin petals than the photographs from just above that were taken from a population in Adams County, Ohio.  What causes this could be related to the quality of the soil, the amount and intensity of sunlight they receive daily or perhaps just in their genetic code.  I prefer the plants exhibiting the thicker and wider petals which put on a more striking display.  

Hillside carpeted with Large-flowered Trllium in Adams County

As Spring progresses I plan on doing a post dedicated to a few more species of Trillium native to Ohio; such as the Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) pictured above.   They are among my favorite Spring wildflowers that brighten our world and could not come any sooner after such a snowy and cold Winter!