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Hooray, hooray, the first of May! Plan a Wildflower Walk Today!
As long as I can remember, spring was a special time for walking in the woods and looking for delicate, often elusive wildflowers. When the first emerald green skunk cabbage starts popping up along local streams, the debate begins. We watch the weather and search our memories of past springs, deciding whether this is the day to set off on an expedition to the mountains or to hike through one of the local parks. The goal is to catch the spring wildflowers at their peak, preferably on a sunny, blue-sky day.
Everybody has their own favorites among the spring wildflowers. My mother loves the pristine grace of the Trilliums, blooming in the dappled shade of little valleys. We felt especially lucky whenever we came upon one of the less common red trilliums, which she calls "Wake Robins." Trout lilies seem to like similar locations, and I was delighted to find a large expanse of them in full bloom one year. Before, I'd only spotted them in small clumps, often seeing the spotted leaves that give them their names before seeing their nodding yellow blooms.
Spring Beauties, with their delicate stripes of shell pink, have been a favorite of mine for years. As a child, I was once very late for school because I was distracted by a stream bank filled with spring beauties in bloom. I just knew my teacher needed a beautiful nosegay of them for her desk, and I was completely oblivious to the time it took me to gather them.
Bluets are another delicate spring wildflower. Their fragile blooms are breathtaking in contrast to the tree trunks and gnarled stumps they often surround, but it's a beauty that's been hard to capture with my camera. There's a magical quality to such diminutive flowers. When you find them blooming beneath the umbrella-forms of new Mayapple shoots, it's not hard to imagine tiny fairies holding spring revels there in the hollow between the roots of a forest giant.
Wildflower hikes aren't about logging exercise miles, although one of my favorite parks has a steep path aptly named "Coronary Trail." Strolling slowly, with many pauses to look around tree trunks and under the edges of clumps of brush, will let you discover a variety of delightful little flowers you'd never have seen otherwise.
As you get better at spotting little splashes of spring color among the litter of fall leaves and still-dormant brush, you'll start learning where to look for particular wildflowers. Open, sunny areas may host Woodland Phlox, or Colt's Foot, or Wood Violets. Low, damp areas are good for spotting Jack-in-the-Pulpit, or Dutchman's Breeches. Correctly or not, we always thought that Liverworts liked to hide around the mossy, north side of trees. Areas where brush is periodically cleared for trails or pipe-lines are colonized by different plants than less disturbed parts of the woods. The more closely you look, the more you'll see.
Not sure where to start? Look for a Wildflower Society or Native Plant Organization near you. You may find a website listing local parks with trails that are especially good for spring wildflowers. Most of the photos in this article were taken in Duff Park (Murrysville, PA), where several organizations host wildflower walks and organize trail improvement efforts. Also, check out DG's Native Plants and Wild Plants discussion forum. There's a wonderful thread underway now for sharing photos of spring wildflowers!
My favorite book for identifying wildflowers is Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (ISBN-13: 978-0316604420). It's the definitive field guide for northeastern and north-central North America, combining clear descriptions with an efficient botanical key.
Happy May Day!
Photos by Jill Nicolaus.
About Jill M. Nicolaus
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. This week, I've been cutting lavender, putting up pluots (plum-apricot fruits), and pulling weeds (always, LOL). I love being outside in the cooler morning -- coffee cup in one hand, watering hose in the other -- watching the birds and butterflies among the flowers.(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by Kelli (from Los Angeles (Canoga , CA) on May 1, 2008 at 8:41 PM:
We have totally different wildflowers out here, but I remember some of yours from when I lived in PA. My favorites were trillium, trout lily, and Turk's cap lily. Wildflower season is just about over here since it hasn't rained in a month or more, but I have been getting out about twice a week.
(mariposa lilies)
...
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on May 1, 2008 at 9:04 PM:
I have never seen the red trillium. The deer herd is being diminished. For the first time in many years we have seen the return of a few trillium in our mountains. Thanks for the peek.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on May 1, 2008 at 9:19 PM:
Ooh, yes, Turk's cap lilies are adorable! CA wildflowers are lovely, too... ours pop up when the weather warms, and I guess you get yours after a good rain?
Doc, I wondered if the deer overpopulation was responsible for fewer trilliums... I can remember driving along the PA turnpike and seeing every little wooded vale just carpeted in them!
...
Posted by Kelli (from Los Angeles (Canoga , CA) on May 1, 2008 at 9:33 PM:
I've seen both red and white trilliums in PA (Warren County). The white was much more common. One of those my dad said was sometimes called wet dog trillium because it smelled bad. I read somewhere that you shouldn't pick trillium flowers because it will kill the plant.
Yes, Critter, we get our flowers after a good rain. Broadly speaking, the more rain, the more flowers, up to a point, of course.
...
Posted by docgipe (from NORTH CENTRAL PENNSY, PA) on May 1, 2008 at 9:36 PM:
I think right after back yard surburban tulips deer will seek trillium as a gormet choice over fungi in the mountains.
...
Subject: Second! Get out there!
Posted by bordersandjacks (from Seabrook, SC) on May 1, 2008 at 5:28 AM:
Here's a picture from a walk I took earlier in the month at Station Cove Falls in the upstate of South Carolina with the South Carolina Native Plant Society. You can see the trillium blooming in the foreground and the mayapple getting ready to bloom. At the end of the walk is a lovely waterfall.
Jenny
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on May 1, 2008 at 8:19 AM:
Gorgeous!! We've got a great part a little north of us with a lovely waterfall, too... Cunningham Falls... must get there this weekend. Tired knees from gardening are no excuse; the lower trail is so easy that you can get a wheelchair along it! :-)
...
Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on May 1, 2008 at 8:10 PM:
Great pic Jenny , I can see the trillium. How did you get a picture in here, theres no place to download one ?
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Posted by bordersandjacks (from Seabrook, SC) on May 1, 2008 at 9:31 PM:
How funny, there isn't a place for a picture in anything other than the first reply. If you go to the article and scroll to the bottom you could post a picture.
Jenny
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Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on May 1, 2008 at 10:09 PM:
Ths Jenny I never notice that. Wish they could change it to include all post able to send a pic : )
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Subject: Aren't they wonderful?
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on May 1, 2008 at 12:26 AM:
I am truly blessed to live in the woods here, and the wildflowers are a joy I look forward to every year. We have many of the ones you mentioned. But I've never seen a white trillium--here I was thinking they were all red, because that's all we have! And I always thought "trout" lily was such a yucky name for such a pretty plant, lol. Thanks for sharing your wildflowers with us, Jill. Lovely article.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on May 1, 2008 at 8:22 AM:
LOL -- it's better than "LIVERwort." I think more people like flashing, graceful trout than liver.
That's really funny about the trilliums... anywhere I've been hiking, the red ones are a rare find! I'm glad you enjoyed the article.
...
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on May 1, 2008 at 1:35 PM:
Maybe I could send you some--do you think they'd survive a trip like that?
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on May 1, 2008 at 3:52 PM:
I'm not sure... are Trilliums one of those wildflowers with long tap roots that are hard to move? Gosh, it would be fun to plant one in between Mom's rhodi's to surprise her in spring... :-)
I have plans to try to incorporate some of my favorite wildflowers (not collected from protected areas; I'd either purchase cultivated ones or rescue them from areas about to be bulldozed) along the back of the yard where we have a "fence row" of trees... but at the moment it's still a "ground zero" as I continue battling poison ivy back there... not a good time to nurture new plantings. :-)
...
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on May 1, 2008 at 5:23 PM:
I never tried to dig up a trillium...will have to research that. Or try it--we have a bazillion of them. Yep, it would certainly work better to get them from someplace near you so they could be replanted right away. Eeew, poison ivy--not looking forward to that stuff!
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on May 1, 2008 at 5:52 PM:
Thanks for the thought... let me know if you think it might work! I'm sure I can find a suitable bribe trade... :-)
...
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on May 1, 2008 at 7:33 PM:
I went out a few minutes ago and took pics of them, and some others, too. I'll have to upload one onto a new thread, since I can't do it here.
Edit: The picture won't upload...but it looks similar to the one in your article, just not all the way open.
This message was edited May 1, 2008 7:47 PM
...
Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on May 1, 2008 at 8:03 PM:
Hi Critter and everyone who loves those wildflowers. I was out mushroom hunting at my sisters and she has a zillion trilliums too, I took a couple , I dug out with my hand/fingers and planted over here in my woods,
One looks like it will be ok the other one ify. I wanted to try just a couple and see how well they transplanted. I would so love to see a red trilliums. Next time I'm bringing a shovel and get a nice patch of them.
On another morel hunt over at my Moms yesterday I dug up another wild plant again with my hand and a sharp rock I dug up a couple of Dwarf Larkspur Delphinium tricorne. Theres many over at Moms too!
I would not take them if they were only a few, we could lose them forever , so we need to be very careful and not rape the woods of these beauties.
I want to have my woods with these wonderful plants. There was also many Jonny-jump ups and violets, yellow, whites and blues. Sweet williams too!!!! Mayapples all over. Many more plants to see and find. Oh and the morels , WOW very good year : )
Critter I'm going to check out the wildflower forum, thank you again for a nice artical.
...
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on May 1, 2008 at 8:07 PM:
Ok, now I'm jealous--only found 1 morel so far...lol. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough. And I will research how to collect/store seeds from those red trilluims so I can share them. I'd like to trade for white ones!
...
Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on May 1, 2008 at 8:22 PM:
Next time I go in the woods I will bring a bag for the shrooms, trowel for digging up wildflowers and a bucket to hold them in, a walking stick to move the snakes over that are in my way , camera for taking those WOW shots of the woods, and lunch cuz I'm stayin there all day long :)
Keep looking KyWoods : ) they are yum yum good !!!!!!
...
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on May 1, 2008 at 8:35 PM:
Linda, good idea about the hiking paraphernalia--I have one item to add, though...toilet paper! It never fails, I'm always furthest from the house when I gotta go...but then, this is private property. Don't know that I'd be that bold on public land, LOL. I found that Taco Bell napkins work best, 'cause they're brown, and even though I bury 'em, if they surface before disintegrating, they blend in with the forest floor. Is that too much info?? ;)
...
Posted by Lindawalkabout (from Holden, MO) on May 1, 2008 at 8:52 PM:
Great idea on the brown Taco Bell napkins, lol. Theres nothing nastier then to see a white paper tissue in the woods, uggggh
We have an outhouse in our woods but no one will use it, "Spiders, snakes, raccoons" they think are in there. OK OK maybe spideror two and maybe a snake , but i haven't seen a raccoon in there. I went to great lenghts to add corncobs, and a catalog for such needs. And a oil lantern incase of evening nature calls : )
On another note tho, Mullien is a very soft plant that grows in the woods that is used for toilet paper. We have lots of it growing, but never used it yet!!!!!!!
I could not believe one lady that was walking on our trails told me she had to go to the bathroom and would not use the outhouse, she did a # 2 on our pond dam : P. I guess if you got to go ,you got to go.
forgot to add, yes that was to much info KY, LOL
This message was edited May 1, 2008 6:54 PM
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on May 1, 2008 at 10:51 PM:
I have a local friend who mushroom hunts on a relative's property & could probably get me some white trilliums... then we'd at least know about transplanting them.
You're absolutely right about not taking them from where they're uncommon -- also, don't take any from parks or other protected areas.
Everybody has their own favorites among the spring wildflowers. My mother loves the pristine grace of the Trilliums, blooming in the dappled shade of little valleys. We felt especially lucky whenever we came upon one of the less common red trilliums, which she calls "Wake Robins." Trout lilies seem to like similar locations, and I was delighted to find a large expanse of them in full bloom one year. Before, I'd only spotted them in small clumps, often seeing the spotted leaves that give them their names before seeing their nodding yellow blooms.
Spring Beauties, with their delicate stripes of shell pink, have been a favorite of mine for years. As a child, I was once very late for school because I was distracted by a stream bank filled with spring beauties in bloom. I just knew my teacher needed a beautiful nosegay of them for her desk, and I was completely oblivious to the time it took me to gather them.
Bluets are another delicate spring wildflower. Their fragile blooms are breathtaking in contrast to the tree trunks and gnarled stumps they often surround, but it's a beauty that's been hard to capture with my camera. There's a magical quality to such diminutive flowers. 
When you find them blooming beneath the umbrella-forms of new Mayapple shoots, it's not hard to imagine tiny fairies holding spring revels there in the hollow between the roots of a forest giant.
Wildflower hikes aren't about logging exercise miles, although one of my favorite parks has a steep path aptly named "Coronary Trail." Strolling slowly, with many pauses to look around tree trunks and under the edges of clumps of brush, will let you discover a variety of delightful little flowers you'd never have seen otherwise.
As you get better at spotting little splashes of spring color among the litter of fall leaves and still-dormant brush, you'll start learning where to look for particular wildflowers. Open, sunny areas may host Woodland Phlox, or Colt's Foot, or Wood Violets. Low, damp areas are good for spotting Jack-in-the-Pulpit, or Dutchman's Breeches. 
Correctly or not, we always thought that Liverworts liked to hide around the mossy, north side of trees. Areas where brush is periodically cleared for trails or pipe-lines are colonized by different plants than less disturbed parts of the woods. The more closely you look, the more you'll see.
My favorite book for identifying wildflowers is Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (ISBN-13: 978-0316604420). 
It's the definitive field guide for northeastern and north-central North America, combining clear descriptions with an efficient botanical key.
