April Flowers among the Showers
This is the time of year when nature wears me out. The weather is a little warmer, the earth smells a little cleaner, and the spring ephemerals start to pop. Because a spring ephemeral is a native wildflower with a short life cycle and because it is important to see every flower, by the end of spring I am worn out.
Spring Beauty - Photo credit Rebecca Dandekar
One of the first spring ephemerals is a Spring Beauty. This tiny flower starts out slow in the late winter, but by the time spring is in full swing there are spring beauty everywhere. With five petals this flower blooms white to pink. The pink veins and a hint of yellow on the flower ensure no pollinator will have trouble following the “nectar guides” to the center of the flower. A spring beauty provides nectar for over 23 species of bees and flies.
Virginia Bluebells – Photo Credit Deb Beazley
As you are walking on the closed roadways of Warner look up the slope for bright pink buds. These buds bloom to beautiful pale blue, occasionally pink or white tubular flowers. Although the flowers bloom for a brief period of time, they form large colonies. These large colonies cover the hillside in bright pink and a heavenly blue. After the blooms are spent, the leaves die back, and the plant disappears until the next spring. Bluebells are capable of self-pollination. But they are also pollinated by butterflies, bumblebees and other long-tongued bees, skippers, hummingbird moths, flower flies (syrphids), bee flies, and hummingbirds.
Trillium
Three is a magic number. If you find a flower that has three leaves, three petals, and three stamens you have a trillium. In the park, the most common trillium are Sessile and Sweet Betsy. A sessile trillium is a smaller plant than the Sweet Betsy, with conspicuous projections at the tips of the stamens. That can be hard to judge so the best way to tell these two flowers apart is to bend down and smell them. Sweet Betsy lives up to its name with a very sweet smell. Sessile lives up to its nickname, Stinking Willie, with a smell that resembles rotting garbage. The smell attracts flies and beetles which pollinate the plant. Sweet Betsy trillium is also known as Purple Toadshade. This could be because of its mottled leaves that look like toad skin or the arrangement of the leaves that welcome a toad to rest in the shade.
Forest floor covered in Spring Beauty – Photo credit Deb Beazley
On a personal note:
About 35 years ago I stood with my then three-year-old son in the snow. In front of us was a naturalist talking about a winter bush. My thought was she must have the best job in the world. For the past 15 years I have had the job of a naturalist and it is the best job in the world.
I am now changing my status from professional naturalist to volunteer naturalist. There are so many people who have taught, encouraged, and supported me along the way. I am thankful for each and every person. I want to especially thank Vera Roberts for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I want to thank Kim Bailey for being my mentor, teacher, and very good friend. Without her I would have never realized how amazing nature really is, or have had as much fun. And as always, I am thankful for Ed Donahue, who listened, volunteered, and patiently waited while I examined whatever flower, rock or critter caught my interest. I will miss being at the Nature Center every day, but look forward to new adventures.
Melissa Donahue
