trout lily

Spring Ephemeral Flowers Bloom For All to See

by

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!

Trout Lily Flowers Next to the Juniata River

by

In Pennsylvania one of the Spring Ephemerals that blooms in early April is the Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum, which is also called Adder’s Tongue or Dogtooth Violet. Trout Lily is a better or more descriptive common name because the trout lily is a member of the Lily family, Liliaceae.

If you know traits of the Lily Family, then you’ll be able to recognize that trout lily is a lily. It’s supposedly named for blooming at the time when the trout are running, or spawning. Since April 3rd was the first day of trout fishing season here, the name trout lily might be right on.

You’ll probably first notice the foliage of the trout lily as it is visible for many weeks, yet the blossom is out for a short time, perhaps a week at the most. The flowers in these photographs, taken 8 April 2010, were gone by the 13th of April.

We found a colony of trout lilies blooming along my favorite river road. It was easy to spot their yellow flowers on the west-facing slope that overlooks the Juniata River.

Large group of trout lily blooming next to the river road.
Large group of trout lily blooming next to the river road.
Colony of blooming trout lily.
Colony of blooming trout lily.
Looking up at trout lily blooming on the hillside next to the river.
Looking up at trout lily blooming on the hillside next to the river.

Looking up the hill at all the yellow trout lily blooms.

Small group of trout lilies flowering.
Small group of trout lilies flowering.

Flowers at the bottom of the image are just opening their bell-shaped blossom. Once open the petals flare backward exposing the bright yellow stamens.

Trout lily flowers and leaves.
Trout lily flowers and leaves.

The palmate or divided leaf on the left in the image above is a cut-leaved toothwort, which was growing in small patches among the trout lilies.

The thick, sword-like leaves of trout lily come to a point at the tip and are mottled with dark green to maroon on a light green background, or vice versa.

Found in wetland areas, natural water drainage areas next to creeks, rivers, lowlands.

Close-up of trout lily flowers with yellow stamens.
Close-up of trout lily flowers with yellow stamens.

One to three lance-like leaves per bloom and sometimes you find a large number of single leaves with no blooms on this perennial spring flower. Trout lily flowers are the tallest part of the plant and they reach 8 – 10 inches tall.

The under or back side of the yellow petals is streaked with brown, and more so on the three outer petals.

Petals of trout lilies flowering.
Petals of trout lilies flowering.

Oh, see those three little leaves in the foreground? Well, I certainly didn’t. In my enthusiasm for the opportunity to photograph these flowers I neglected to check for poison ivy, but that’s what I got! Never used to as a kid. Use caution if you’re going in the woods, no matter what time of year. All it takes is one brush with the poison ivy plant and you could be itching for a long time. Take my word for it!

Spring beauty blooming as trout lily cohort.
Spring beauty blooming as trout lily cohort.
Spring beauty flowers and the mottled leaves of trout lily.
Spring beauty flowers and the mottled leaves of trout lily.

Also blooming in the same area were Spring Beauty and Cut-Leaved Toothwort.

Trout lily and spring beauty blooming together.
Trout lily and spring beauty blooming together.

Across the road on the river side, a small patch of Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica, were blooming at the base of a tree.

Virginia bluebells blooming next to the river.
Virginia bluebells blooming next to the river.

On the east side of the Juniata River these bluebells were blooming on the 8th of April 2010.

From what we’ve seen on the Juniata River it seems that river banks and the adjacent lands might be great places to search for spring flowers. If you can find a trail near you that runs through river side areas, take a hike and let us know what you find.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

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

by

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.