Late Last Bloomers of Bloodroot and Hepatica

We all know a cardinal when we see one, so we can recognize the species and tell it apart from robins and redstarts. But can any of us profess to know individual birds? I would argue no – not without also observing behavioral differences or actions unique to the individual.

Well, if we think about the same idea and apply it to plants, how can we tell individuals apart from one another? If planted or observed in prior years one has a pretty good chance of remembering where an individual plant put down their roots. However, without the common location from year to year I doubt many of us could recognize individual plants within a species.

As behavior doesn’t really apply with plants we look for other characteristics that sets them apart from the rest. We say, “these are the early blooming variety of tulip” or “those hardy fruit trees are the ones resistant to such-and-such pox.” With wild plants I’m sure there are examples of sub-groups of species that appear differently or that have certain characteristics that set them apart from the average wild herb.

Here, we have two examples of late-blooming spring ephemeral flowers.

Little bloodroot blooming under older bloodroots.
Little bloodroot blooming under older bloodroots.

The little bloodroot in the image above was seen on 30 April 2010. Note the large leaves of bloodroot that overhang the little late bloomer. The seed pod of a prior blooming bloodroot can just be seen to the left of the large flower stalk on the right of the photograph. Bloodroot bloomed in South-Central Pennsylvania from 3 April to 18 April 2010, although only one tattered bloom was seen on the 18th.

Once the ground gets warm enough to sprout the bloodroot plants, it’s like a mass blooming. The blooming may last for a week, but no longer than that except for singular plants here and there. The same is probably true for hepatica.

Late blooming hepatica with mottled leaves.
Late blooming hepatica with mottled leaves.

The hepatica blossom above is the latest one yet, spotted on 30 April 2010. In the image above one hepatica plant has three light green leaves and a second plant, lower on the hill with the bloom, has mottled leaves. The mottled-leaf plant has one spent blossom visible on the left. Hepatica bloomed here a little earlier than bloodroot from 24 March to 3 April 2010.

Individual variation is at play. Microhabitat variation wasn’t the cause of these late-blooming flowers as we saw others in same location that had already bloomed as witnessed by spent flowers and/or the presence of seed pods.

The lesson here for all of us is that when we go out and observe nature or look for wild herbs, we need to remember that we’re there only for an instant in time. Many variables play on the growth, or lack thereof, of plants and animals. Timing can be everything. Next week or last week might have been the best time to find what you’re seeking, but that doesn’t mean a total loss.

Like they taught us in school – Stop, Look and Listen! To that list I would add Smell! You never know what treasures lie ahead, so venture on!

Spring Ephemeral Flowers Bloom For All to See

Spring Ephemerals have had my attention for the past few weeks. I truly enjoy watching Spring take hold in the form of spying on my flowery friends. As the various plants arise from their winter sleep they sprout and put forth their beautiful blossoms for all to see.

The Spring ephemeral flowers by their very nature are fleeting in appearance. You can see them one day and be glad that you did for the next day they could be gone until the next year. Part of my delight stems from the fact that I know most people will never go to the woods to see these beauties. Can I possibly derive pleasure from knowing that people will miss out on these beautiful displays? Not really, but I do feel privileged somehow.

Instead of keeping all the fun to myself, I’ll keep posting pictures here to share with everyone. Soon, I’ll be offering an ebook or e-course on Spring Ephemerals, so stay tuned!

Some years I’ve totally missed out on seeing some favorite flowers because one thing or another kept me from taking time to hunt them. This year I’ve vowed to get to the woods to see my favorites, which I have been lucky to do so far, and to find a few new friends.

Activities that help us to appreciate nature – like looking for spring ephemeral flowers – would make for great family outings. If you’re trying to be “green-minded”, gather your kids or friends and take your next activity to a state park or forest where you can picnic and have some inexpensive fun. There are all sorts of things to do and observe that don’t cost more than your transportation of getting there. Here’s a few ideas to get started –

  • Set a goal to find five new flowering friends each season.
  • Walk or hike in the woods or on a nearby trail and observe nature.
  • Find a favorite flowering plant and observe it through all four seasons.
  • Make a photo-collage or screen-saver of your favorite flowers and leaves.
  • Find wild flowers that are red, white and blue, or your favorite colors.
  • Locate a berry vine and watch the flowers develop into yummy blackberries or black raspberries. Then, make jelly!
  • Get outside and just enjoy the fresh air.

Some of my old favorite spring ephemeral flowers include Round-Leaved Hepatica, Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, Bloodroot and Dutchman’s Breeches.

Spring flowers that I hadn’t before seen or identified include Early Saxifrage, Bluets, and, no doubt, there will be more to be appreciated in the years to come.

Spring ephemerals are just about done flowering for 2010. The trees are at least 50% with leaves developed, so the time for spring ephemeral flowers is almost over. Time for one more walk in the woods!

Bloodroot the White Woodland Flower with a Red Root

One of the earliest blooming Spring Ephemeral flowers is Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis. The days are often cold and windy at the time of year when the bloodroot blooms, but once the sun shines long enough to warm the ground bloodroot will emerge.

Bloodroot grows in eastern forests, especially moist soils in wooded areas. The Mill Race Trail at Little Buffalo State Park, Newport, Pennsylvania, is a great place to see this perennial spring flower blooming in early April.

A group of bloodroot flowers in the woodlands.
A group of bloodroot flowers in the woodlands.

The flowers arise from an underground rhizome in a bud fashion. If you looking for bloodroot on the early side, you might see a few flowers still curled up tight before the blossoms open.

Bloodroot flower emerges as a tight bud.
Bloodroot flower emerges as a tight bud.

In the image above you can see the leaf curled around the flower stem below the small white flower bud. The sword-like mottled leaves next to the bloodroot are trout lilies that had yet to bloom.

As bloodroot grows the flower stem continues to elongate and the flower opens up. The leaf of bloodroot is still wrapped around the flower stem while the flower is blooming.

Bloodroot flower opening.
Bloodroot flower opening. Note leaf curled around flower stem.

Once the petals of the bloodroot flower start to open you’ll be able to see the large canary yellow stamens.

Leaf of bloodroot opening.
Leaf of bloodroot opening.

As the bloodroot flower matures the leaf also continues to develop and pull away from the flower stem.

Bloodroot petal closeup.
Bloodroot petal closeup.

It would be cool to see bloodroot flowers under a UV light – I wonder if the gray lines on the white petals would light up to show the pollinators where to find the pollen. You have to inspect the flower really closely to see these lines, which are barely visible in bright sunlight.

Bloodroot is considered a Spring Ephemeral, flowering only for a brief time in early spring before the trees leaf out. If you get into the woods after the tree leaves emerge, you probably won’t find any bloodroot still blooming.

Bloodroot blooms for about a week, depending on the weather in early Spring. Here in Southcentral PA we see bloodroot the first or second week of April.

Bloodroot flowers have eight to ten, white, elongated petals that seem to be attached rather loosely. Any attempts at picking the flower or digging one up will result in the loss of petals. That’s probably why we don’t see bloodroot at garden centers. They’re too delicate for any handling and would never look good in flower arrangements because of that.

Group of bloodroot flowers.
Group of bloodroot flowers.

The flowers of bloodroot should be appreciated in their natural habitat or perhaps in a native plants garden.

Bloodroot flowers in the forest in early April.
Bloodroot flowers in the forest in early April.

Closer inspection of the flower shows that it comes up first, followed by a single leaf for each flower. The leaves emerge curled around the flower stem. After the flower has bloomed and lost its petals, the leaf will grow in earnest.

The large round leaf of bloodroot is a unique one with a deeply scalloped edge. In the image below there are about 16 bloodroot leaves.

Bloodroot leaves after the flower is gone.
Bloodroot leaves after the flower is gone.

Some of the leaves will get pretty large – as big as your hand, or 8 to 10 inches across. No two leaves seem to have the same exact design, although they all have 7-10 deeply cut lobes each of which are scalloped or have deep, rounded notches.

Bloodroot leaf with scalloped edge and rounded lobes.
Bloodroot leaf with scalloped edge and rounded lobes.

Peeking underneath the leaves you can see the seed pods forming from the old flower.

Seedpods under the leaves of bloodroot.
Seedpods under the leaves of bloodroot.

Bloodroot seedpods are circled in yellow in the image above. (Click on photo for larger image.) Eventually, the flower stem will bend down to the ground where the seedpod can release its contents. The bloodroot plant disappears, or cycles back to the earth, in summer.

(Photos of bloodroot flowers were taken 3Apr2010 and photos of bloodroot leaves were taken 18Apr2010.)

Bloodroot is named for the red juice that bleeds out from a cut or damaged root. The root itself is an orange-red color. Native Americans used bloodroot as a dye and to decorate their skin. If you rub the juice on your skin it will last a few days.

Peterson’s Medicinal Plants Guide tells us that, historically, bloodroot was used in the form of a root tea to treat coughs, laryngitis, asthma, bronchitis, lung ailments and rheumatism.

CAUTION – bloodroot is toxic – do not ingest.

A component in bloodroot, sanguinarine, has been shown to have antiseptic, anesthetic and anticancer activity. Today, it is used in commercial mouthwash and toothpastes as a plaque-inhibiting agent.

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Mill Race Trail: Shoaff’s Mill, Bloodroot and Spring Beauties

At the Day Use Area of Little Buffalo State Park in Newport, Pennsylvania there is a lot to do. Besides picnicking and grilling at the provided picnic tables and pavilions, you can appreciate nature and a couple historic sites by walking the Mill Race Trail.

Mill Race Trail is wide in most places, mostly flat, and only a half-mile long, so it can be considered an easy hike. From the parking area head away from the lake and toward the covered bridge. Pass through Clay’s Bridge, a covered bridge that was originally located one mile west of its present location. It had to be moved when the dam for Holman Lake was built. The bridge was built across Little Buffalo Creek a little upstream from the lake.

Nearly everyone can enjoy the Mill Race Trail. It’s an easy walk in the woods that traces the waterway serving the old grain mill, Shoaff’s Mill. The mill is an attraction in itself. The water wheel is supposedly one of the biggest wheels around. The steel wheel measures 32 feet across. (All photos taken 3 April 2010.)

Shoaff's mill large steel water wheel.
Shoaff's mill large steel water wheel.

Water released from Holman Lake is diverted down the “mill race” to the water wheel. It is this race of water that the Mill Race Trail follows. Water flowing over the wheel turns the wheel and the mill grindstone. The water wheel also operates gears, pulleys and ropes that assist in transporting materials from floor to floor of the mill.

Shoaff’s Mill is still operational and demonstrated the third weekend in October during the Old Fashion Apple Festival. If you walk the Mill Race Trail, you can’t miss it! Be sure to check out the collection of grindstones or millstones at the front of the mill.

From the water wheel follow the path that the water would take to get to the mill. Look for the Mill Race Trail sign and follow the arrow.

Trail sign for Mill Race Trail at Little Buffalo State Park.
Trail sign for Mill Race Trail at Little Buffalo State Park.

The wooded hillside in the photo above is a great place to see bloodroot, spring beauty and trout lily flowers in early April.

Bloodroot flowers on the forest floor.
Bloodroot flowers on the forest floor.

Look for individual bloodroot plants to flower before their leaves are out. A single bloom is followed by one leaf for each plant.

Large grouping of bloodroot flowering.
Large grouping of bloodroot flowering.

Bloodroot flowers have eight white petals and bright yellow stamens that project from the center of the flower.

Spring beauty is another of the spring ephemeral flowers occurring in these woods. Spring beauties have leaves that look like grass and they’re about as tall. The flowers are small, the size of a nickel or dime, with five rounded white petals that may or may not have pink lines. The anthers at the stamen tips are very noticeably pink. Spring beauty flowers bloom in clusters, but often only one flower is open at a time.

Spring beauty blooming in April.
Spring beauty blooming in April.

The mottled, thicker leaf on the left in the image above is the leaf of a trout lily that has not yet bloomed. Trout lily flowers appear for a very short time after the bloodroot has begun flowering.

Mill Race Trail follows the mill race.
Mill Race Trail follows the mill race.

The image above looks back toward the mill. Note the mill race on the right.

Water gate at the head of the mill race.
Water gate at the head of the mill race.

Water level in the race, and therefore the amount of water going to the mill, is controlled by a gate that you can see in the image above. Note the red blaze on the tree that marks the Mill Race Trail. From here you cross over the mill’s water source and follow the path to the right.

This part of the trail is a little more natural, so watch for those tripping rocks and roots.

Mill Race Trail goes through a wooded area at the far end of the trail.
Mill Race Trail goes through a wooded area at the far end of the trail.

Looking back up the creek is a scenic view under the hemlocks.

Mill Race Trail along the creek.
Mill Race Trail along the creek.

The end of the Mill Race Trail empties out into a wide path. Go right to get back to the covered bridge. Either side of the trail in this section has plentiful spring ephemerals flowering in April. If you go, look for bloodroot, spring beauty and trout lily spring flowers.

Spring Ephemeral Flowers at Little Buffalo State Park Newport PA

Take Route 34 exit off Route 322, go south on Route 34 through Newport, PA and just after a sharp bend in the road to the right (near the feed mill), turn right onto Little Buffalo Road. Continue for a mile or so and turn left onto State Park Road. Pass in front of the Blue Ball Tavern Museum and cross the one lane bridge. Turn right onto the first lane and proceed to the parking area on the left.

Map of the day use area in Little Buffalo State Park
Map of the Day Use Area in Little Buffalo State Park

The red path shows how to get to the Day Use Area and where to park. The yellow circle marks the best place to find Spring wild flowers in Little Buffalo State Park.

The Day Use Area is set up for picnics with plenty of picnic tables and pavilions, grills, a playground, and easy access to trails and scenic overlooks.

Walk toward the creek and through the covered bridge. Take the Mill Race Trail if you want to see the Spring wildflowers. It’s an easy trail, only one-half mile long, and it is the best place to see the Spring Ephemeral flowers at Little Buffalo State Park. You’ll see some wildflowers on the hillsides and other flowers in the lowlands near the creek. Shoaff’s Mill is an attraction in itself – the water wheel is supposedly one of the biggest in existence!

Spring Ephemeral flowers blooming on 3 April 2010 –

  • skunk cabbage
  • round-lobe hepatica
  • spring beauty
  • bloodroot

Also saw the sword-like leaves of the trout lily, but its yellow flowers were not visible yet.

Spicebush trees or shrubs were blooming along the far end of Mill Race Trail near the creek. Bright yellow clusters of flowers bloom all along the length of the branches before any leaves appear.

If you’d like a more challenging hike, stop by the visitor’s center and pick up a map of the park. Try the Volksmarch 10K loop, the Buffalo Ridge Trail, or the Fisherman’s Trail.

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