April 29, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Sanguinaria canadensis
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Podophyllum peltatum
Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)

Enemion biternatum
False Rue Anemone (Enemion biternatum)

Asarum canadense
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)

Claytonia virginica
Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica)

Trillium erectum
Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)

56 comments:

  1. I have a bloodroot that went dormant for a year or so and is back. I missed its flower due to rain/work but I like knowing it's there, waiting for next year. :o)

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    1. Bloodroot is a mysterious plant (at least I think so). I didn't even know I had any in the woods behind my house until a few years ago. And then more recently I found a new patch that's much larger. The flowers only last about 24 hours on a warm day, but this year they lasted longer because we had a cold snap. But the fascinating veined foliage remains for about a month for a nice early summer ground cover.

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  2. I loved the bloodroot each spring...the stunning greyish tone to the smooth leaves with the large depressions of veins. It's like seeing old friends once again when I come across blog posts from bloggers who grow those plants for moister climates.

    Gorgeous!

    Jen

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    1. Thanks, Jen. Yes, the Bloodroot is a crazy wonderful plant. Sorry you can't grow it, but at least you've experienced it. Even though I have these ephemerals in my garden, I always wonder if they'll pull through the winter. And even for me it's like seeing old friends each year. :)

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  3. Bloodroot bloomed in our area too. Red and White Trillium too. It is so nice to see the wildflowers for the short time we have them.

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    1. No sign of White Trilliums here yet. They must be more frost-sensitive than some of the other ephemerals. I expect to see them any day now with our forecasted warm-up. Woodland ephemeral flowers are almost mystical in my book. You really can't delay looking for them, or you'll probably miss them. Fortunately, the foliage lasts a little longer, and some of these plants have foliage nearly as fascinating as the flowers.

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    2. Very true, Beth. I delayed going to Canada to see the wildflowers and now that have passed. This time of year like you mentioned has so much going on, that it is easy to miss things we like. My design job and all the garden clubs etc. keeps me too busy and and I even cut back considerably in the past few years. Every year I want to see the wildflowers and I visit one day and they are gone the next. A Higher Being must have been responsible for their short beauty. Saving them I guess for greater things.

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    3. At the writing of this post, the Great White Trilliums hadn't even emerged yet. Today, they're starting to turn pink and fade. What a lovely way to describe their short lives each spring, Donna.

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  4. Beautiful blooms and I appreciate learning to identify these plants as I am a novice.... Michelle

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. I'm glad you enjoyed the short view. These are all growing wild and flowering in my garden right now. I didn't plant any of them, although they're all shade garden-worthy plants! The Bloodroot is just about finished blooming, while the Trilliums and Mayapples (and many others) are about to bloom. One thing I didn't mention (because this was a "wordless" post) is that the foliage on all these plants lasts into the summer.

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  5. The plants are beautiful, but the quality of these pictures is excellent! Thank you Beth!

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    1. Why thank you, Tatyana. :) They are all photogenic plants, and dappled sunlight through a deciduous forest creates magic. You are welcome. Thanks for visiting and sharing your garden joy, too.

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    1. Yes, the ephemeral nature of these plants makes them especially endearing (I think). The blooms only last for a day or a few days, but the foliage lingers a little longer. I feel blessed to have these native wildflowers growing wild in the woods behind my house.

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  7. Makes us really savor the moments we have these beautiful spring ephemerals blooming in our gardens. Love the photo of the wild ginger.

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    1. Thanks, Karin. Yes, they are fleeting. I miss them when they're gone, and I look forward to their return each spring. :)

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  8. That is a one of the attraction of gardening, we have to enjoy the moment as some will not stay for ever.

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    1. Agreed, Lula. Gardening and wildflower watching. Savoring the moments, because they pass too fast.

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  9. Gorgeous photos--oh, that ginger, especially, but all of them!

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    1. Thank you, Tina. Ephemerals make my heart sing. They deliver the joy and hopefulness of another year of growth. Though the flowers don't last long, they're among the earliest native bloomers, and the foliage sticks around a little longer. All great native wildflowers for a North American shade garden.

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  10. That is the sad thing about these fleeting blooms of spring, but oh so beautiful while they are here! I have been looking for the bloodroot I transplanted last year and can't see it anywhere. I'm hoping I just missed its blooms while I was gone and not that it didn't survive.

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    1. I wouldn't be surprised if you simply missed the Bloodroot blooms while you were gone. Each bloom only lasts for a day or two. But the foliage should still be there if you look in that spot? I like the Bloodroot foliage, too! One of these days, I'm going to gather some of the seeds and sprinkle them around in other spots. :)

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  11. Replies
    1. Thank you, Endah. These are among my favorite plants. (Oh, who am I kidding: I love all plants--at the right time in the right place.)

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  12. I love the bloodroot.It is the first wild flower my grandpa shared with me. I will never forget as a little girl, thinking the name was so strange.

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    1. What a wonderful memory, Carla. Those personal moments make gardens and nature even more beloved. How sweet that your grandpa shared his love of wildflowers with you. :)

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  13. Captured by your camera...not really gone.

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    1. :) Cameras are helpful. But I miss the real things, because they're such beautiful ephemeral treasures.

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  14. Great pictures of your blooms! It's such an exciting time of year...each day there's another surprise popping out of the earth!

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    1. Thanks! That is true: If I didn't have summer flowers to look forward to, the fading ephemeral flowers would be too sad to bear.

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  15. I love False Rue Anemone. Looks so delicate but is really tough.

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    1. Me, too. It's still blooming, but the Bloodroot is just about done. :(

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  16. I love your as arums, they are on my wish list! Some plants are short on the stage but well worth having for their beauty :-)

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    1. Oh I love the Arums, too. I have some Arum (syn. Arisaema) triphyllum, but they aren't blooming yet. Should be by this weekend. I agree: All of these have great foliage, too, which lasts into the early to mid-summer. In a cool summer, some last into the fall.

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  17. You have flowers on plants that have not yet even broken through the surface here. I keep watching. i don't want to miss them!

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    1. I think our winters were flipped compared with last year, Becky. It's been a rather mild and early spring here, unlike 2013-2014. We had some nice cool weather last week, which kept the blooms going a little longer. Just think: You still have more ephemerals to look forward to!

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  18. Really beautiful photos - amazingly sharp! I really need to get myself some Claytonia. And didn't you find taking the wild ginger flowers to be difficult? They really like to hide under those leaves.

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    1. Thanks, Jason. All of these grow wild here: I didn't plant a single one. I did plant some Virginia Bluebell seeds a couple of years ago, but they aren't blooming yet. Isn't the Claytonia fun? I think it might have been transported here by critters, because I don't think I had any a couple of years ago. I propped up the Wild Ginger flower on a stem. The only other ways to do it are to lift it with a finger and hold it in place, or put a very small camera under the plant. ;-)

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  19. Oh my, the fragile and shy ones. You must have been down on your tummy to take many of these. I adore Trillium. They are protected here in Oregon even though we have many. All of mine are white or pink in the woodland areas--I've never seen a red before! Beautiful.

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    1. Crouching--yes. ;-) I love Trilliums, too. My white ones appeared overnight a couple of days ago, and they're just about to bloom now. The Trilliums are endangered here, and cannot be taken or disturbed from public lands. They can be lifted or transplanted from private lands, but I would never want to do that because they have specific growing conditions that I wouldn't want to disturb. I only have a couple of Red Trilliums, which are even more rare here. Love them all!

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  20. They are all beautiful flowers, lovely images.. Have a happy weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen. They are exquisite plants, and it's fun to see them bloom briefly each spring. I miss them when they're gone. Enjoy your weekend, too!

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  21. Dear Beth, I loved to see some "new to me" white flowering plants! Looking at the flower of Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) I for sure would have bet that it is some type of hardy geranium. I have never seen a Wild Ginger before, the flower is really kind of cool!
    Wishing you a lovely weekend!
    Christina

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    1. Hi Christina: The Spring Beauties are interesting because their foliage is like blades of grass. I don't have many of them, but it's fun to find a few each year. I love the Wild Ginger, and it seems to be spreading--yay!

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  22. So far I've only seen the anemones and mayapples. Also saw bluebells, trout lily and toothwort the other day at the Arboretum.

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    1. They're fading fast. The Bloodroot and Spring Beauty flowers are gone. But the foliage is still nice. Other ephemerals are just coming in--including the Great White Trilliums. They last a little longer, too. I was at the Arb on Friday. Wow, it's gorgeous right now. :)

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    2. I only saw one bloodroot at the Arb last year, and none (so far) this year. I attended last Sunday's guided walk at Grady Tract, and there were at least half a dozen flowers in bloom -- bluets, wood betony, pussytoes, spreading Jacob's-ladder, wild strawberry, violets...I feel like I'm missing something. Up on Grady Knoll we saw A LOT of lupine and leadplant leaves, so won't be long before we start seeing some of those, too.

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    3. Wow, no Bloodroot at the Arb? I'll have to check next year in the Native Plant Garden area. There's a woodland section that has many ephemerals. But I missed them there this year. Sounds like that was a great guided walk, though. :)

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  23. I love spring ephemerals! It is interesting how we judge different plants. Some we reject because of a short bloom season; others we love because of it! Though I appreciate especially those ephemerals who leave behind lovely foliage, at least for a while.

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    1. Me, too, Deb. :) I'm not sure I would intentionally plant some of these, but ... well, I take that back. I would. Fortunately, though, these are all growing wild in the woods here and I didn't have to plant them. So, it's kind of like an annual scavenger hunt to find them and enjoy them each spring before they fade. :)

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  24. All the most beloved wildflowers that I look forward to seeing each spring, even if for just a few days. Beautiful collection Beth!

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    1. Thanks, Donna. Mother Nature is sharing them. These are plants that grow wild in the woods behind the house. I will miss them when we move, but fortunately, I know several other places where I can go to see these old friends each year. ;-)

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  25. I can count on you for the best "springtime pops" ever . . . You would love seeing the vast wooded space at my daughters when the May Apples come out . . . I will see if I can catch a picture for you . . . green and lush . . .

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    1. Awww, thanks, Lynne. I love those woodland settings. The Mayapples cover a hil here. They're fascinating to watch as they emerge, and then unfurl, bloom, and produce fruit. :)

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  26. Replies
    1. Thank you, Diana. The Red Trillium takes its time to bloom. I think it's still closed in bud form. In all that time, the Great White Trilliums have emerged and begun to bloom. :)

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