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Spring is in full swing! In the matter of a few weeks, Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge bursts to life as plants, birds, and even insects make the most of the longer days and warmer weather. But a few industrious organisms have already got a jump on the growing season. Spring ephemerals, as the name suggests, are briefly-blooming early spring wildflowers. Their early start in the spring allows them a few weeks of uninterrupted sun before the deciduous trees leaf out. Here are a couple of blooms you might have seen out in the woods in late April and early May.
Hepatica is a plant in the buttercup family with small purple, blue, or white flowers. Around here, both round-lobed and the sharp-lobed hepatica can be found — the names refer to the three-lobed leaves, which may be rounded or pointed depending on the species. Hepatica’s blooms are slightly deceiving: what look like petals are really sepals (protective leaf-like structures around a flower), and hepatica doesn’t actually have any petals. Once the flowers have been pollinated, hepatica produces small oblong fruits. This is where one of my favorite words comes into play: myrmecochory! Myrmecochory means seed-dispersal by ants. The fruits have a fat-rich coating on them, which attracts hungry ants. When the ants take the fruits back for storage in their nest, they are essentially planting the seeds in a perfect new growing spot.
Bloodroot gets its name from its reddish-orange sap, which is used by many Native American cultures as a dye. The outside of the plant itself doesn’t appear very “bloody”, with wide, lobed leaves and a single white flower. You may see these flowers closed up, or in various stages of unfurling. That doesn’t mean that they’ve just bloomed – these flowers close each night and open up each morning. The petals are sheltered by the leaves, which curl around them. The flowers attract bees and flies, but many of those insects leave disappointed, as the flowers don’t produce any nectar. With this bait and switch, the flowers get pollinated, and at least a few pollen-collecting native bees leave happy.
What other signs of spring do you look for? Perhaps you mark the start of spring by the birds you see at your feeder, or by hearing the frogs start to call. Why not put these observations to good use as a citizen scientist? Many of us have used apps such as Merlin or iNaturalist to help identify birds, plants, or other wildlife. When you log observations, that information goes into databases that scientists and conservation professionals around the world can use for their research and decision-making. Another seasonally appropriate option is the project Nature’s Notebook. Nature’s Notebook focuses on phenology, the study of seasonal cycles and changes in the natural world. Making weekly observations of your chosen plants or animals helps to build an ecological calendar of the changes and how they might shift over time. It’s also a great way to get in tune with your local ecosystem.
So, whether you’re gathering data, watching the seasons change, or just looking for wildflowers, spring is an excellent time to get outside. You can find many spring ephemerals like hepatica, bloodroot, wood anemone, trillium, and more at Tamarac Refuge. Just make sure to see them soon, because these flowers are a limited time offer!
