Spring Ephemerals in Penn's Woods
I live in Pennsylvania---i.e., Penn's Woods---named so for the the thick forest that covered the area when William Penn was granted* the land by Charles II on March 4, 1681. The grant was officially proclaimed on April, 2 1681.
If Penn could have taken a forest walk that day, what would he have seen? I often wish I could see a bit of that great unspoiled, old growth forest. While a few spots remain, much is lost even in old growth preserves. The towering chestnut trees are gone, and even now, the ash trees are dying due to the emerald ash borer.
On April 2, 2020, a mere 339 years later :-), we enjoyed a lovely walk through the woods. As Penn would have seen, the bare branches of the deciduous forest let in nearly all of the bright sunlight on this glorious spring day. This is the moment for spring ephemerals. The leaves that normally block out the light on the forest floor are not yet out, so these tiny plants grow, bloom, set seed, and die back again in just a few weeks, all before the tree canopy grows out again. On our walk yesterday we were fortunate to find several patches of these delicate wildflowers.
Small white flowers, called Virginia Springbeauty, or Claytonia virginica, were literally a carpet on the forest floor. The blooms are tiny and the picture doesn't really do the scene justice.
I noticed that most of the pictures online show these as more purple/pink than white, or sometimes white with purple stripes. The ones we saw were definitely almost completely white. I don't know if it was a different variety or if The flowers start out more purple and then fade to white as they go over. A few days after this walk, we went out again on a cloudy day and I was able to get a clearer picture of them.
You can more clearly see the pink stripes in this photo. (I've noticed that my winter aconite, another ephemeral, does something similar. It starts out bright yellow and then fades to pale yellow right before it goes to seed.)
Bloodroot, or sanguinaria canadensis L., has a larger white flower than Springbeauty.
It's stem releases a red liquid when broken, hence the name. The liquid from its roots was used as a red dye by Native Americans, as well as medicinally. Most sources note that this red liquid is toxic.
The yellow trout lily, or Erythronium americanum has leaves that are mottled brown, gray and green and indeed do look a little bit like the skin of a trout. There were only a few blooms, but we saw large swathes of the mottled brown and green leaves, so I expect that in a week or two there will many more of these lovely flowers.
I was delighted to come across several large patches of Mertensia virginica, or Virginia bluebells. Most of the blooms were still tightly closed in their purple-blue balloon-shaped pods---kind of like an un-inflated balloon. I'm looking forward re-visiting the patch when they are open.
The native species flowers we saw were on a rather small track of land compared to the size of the wooded area which they might have been growing in. As the U.S. Forest website notes,
"Almost all wildflowers are fragile and many wilt and perish soon after being picked. Over the years, the repercussions of wildflower picking by unthinking people go far beyond the loss of the flowers themselves."
I was reminded of this when I saw someone walking past us with a clump of bluebells, already wilted, in her hand. :-( The U.S. Forest service website has important information on why we should not pick wildflowers, including information on legal ways to collect them. If you'd like to grow them in your garden buy them from a nursery that sources their plants responsibly.
Another native spring ephemeral that we saw a week or so earlier in a walk through a nature preserve, is Dutchman's Breeches, or Dicentra cucullaria. This quirky name comes from the flowers which resemble pantaloons (or breeches) hanging upside down.
I hope you enjoyed this "walk" through the southeast Pennsylvania woods, and I hope this inspires you to take a walk (while maintaining social distance, of course, in this season of Covid-19) and see what beauties you can discover.
If Penn could have taken a forest walk that day, what would he have seen? I often wish I could see a bit of that great unspoiled, old growth forest. While a few spots remain, much is lost even in old growth preserves. The towering chestnut trees are gone, and even now, the ash trees are dying due to the emerald ash borer.
 |
| A patch of spring ephemerals, including Virginia bluebells and Springbeauties |
On April 2, 2020, a mere 339 years later :-), we enjoyed a lovely walk through the woods. As Penn would have seen, the bare branches of the deciduous forest let in nearly all of the bright sunlight on this glorious spring day. This is the moment for spring ephemerals. The leaves that normally block out the light on the forest floor are not yet out, so these tiny plants grow, bloom, set seed, and die back again in just a few weeks, all before the tree canopy grows out again. On our walk yesterday we were fortunate to find several patches of these delicate wildflowers.
Virginia Springbeauty
 |
| Springbeauties--- the auto-focus on my phone didn't quite catch the right spot, but there's not a lot of time to go back for a better photo when you're walking with your five-year-old. |
Small white flowers, called Virginia Springbeauty, or Claytonia virginica, were literally a carpet on the forest floor. The blooms are tiny and the picture doesn't really do the scene justice.
You can more clearly see the pink stripes in this photo. (I've noticed that my winter aconite, another ephemeral, does something similar. It starts out bright yellow and then fades to pale yellow right before it goes to seed.)
Bloodroot
 |
| Bloodroot growing beneath a tree, with springbeauty and chickweed farther out. |
Bloodroot, or sanguinaria canadensis L., has a larger white flower than Springbeauty.
 |
| A single bloodroot bloom |
It's stem releases a red liquid when broken, hence the name. The liquid from its roots was used as a red dye by Native Americans, as well as medicinally. Most sources note that this red liquid is toxic.
Yellow Trout Lily
 |
| Yellow trout lily |
The yellow trout lily, or Erythronium americanum has leaves that are mottled brown, gray and green and indeed do look a little bit like the skin of a trout. There were only a few blooms, but we saw large swathes of the mottled brown and green leaves, so I expect that in a week or two there will many more of these lovely flowers.
Virginia Bluebell
 |
| Virginia bluebells |
I was delighted to come across several large patches of Mertensia virginica, or Virginia bluebells. Most of the blooms were still tightly closed in their purple-blue balloon-shaped pods---kind of like an un-inflated balloon. I'm looking forward re-visiting the patch when they are open.
 |
| a yellow trout lily and Virginia bluebell |
A Reminder about Wildflowers....
Please do not pick them!!
The native species flowers we saw were on a rather small track of land compared to the size of the wooded area which they might have been growing in. As the U.S. Forest website notes,
"Almost all wildflowers are fragile and many wilt and perish soon after being picked. Over the years, the repercussions of wildflower picking by unthinking people go far beyond the loss of the flowers themselves."
I was reminded of this when I saw someone walking past us with a clump of bluebells, already wilted, in her hand. :-( The U.S. Forest service website has important information on why we should not pick wildflowers, including information on legal ways to collect them. If you'd like to grow them in your garden buy them from a nursery that sources their plants responsibly.
 |
| Virginia bluebells and Springbeauties growing together |
Another native spring ephemeral that we saw a week or so earlier in a walk through a nature preserve, is Dutchman's Breeches, or Dicentra cucullaria. This quirky name comes from the flowers which resemble pantaloons (or breeches) hanging upside down.
I hope you enjoyed this "walk" through the southeast Pennsylvania woods, and I hope this inspires you to take a walk (while maintaining social distance, of course, in this season of Covid-19) and see what beauties you can discover.
© 2020. All photos and text belong to me. Do not copy or reproduce without asking. Thanks! :-)
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