April 26, 2017

It's Party Time in the Woodland!

spring beauty 1

It's fun to have a natural woodland at the back of our property. The plants shift and change over time, and I seem to find something new every year. We made the decision early on with this property to cultivate the garden areas nearer the house and let the woods go wild, for the most part. (We do remove invasive, non-native plants and I've added a few natives to take their place.)

For this Wildflower Wednesday, I'm sharing ephemerals and wildflowers making an appearance during the past week or so:

spring beauty 2

Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) with their shiny petals and pink pollen.

bloodroot 1

bloodroot 2

bloodroot 3

bloodroot 4

Bloodroots (Sanguinaria canadensis), which emerge, unfurl, take my breath away, and go to seed within days.

mayapple 1

mayapple 2

mayapple 3

mayapple 4

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) that start as tiny, folded umbrellas and unfold to colonize along the forest floor.

ginger 1

ginger 2

ginger 3

Wild Gingers (Asarum canadense), a favorite ground cover in my garden--I'm trying to encourage them to spread. The shy little flowers are fascinating and the foliage is sweet.

jack 1

jack 2

Jacks-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), which are just getting started this week. These last a little longer, and in a good year seem to number in the hundreds our little woods.

false rue anemone 2

false rue anemone 1

False Rue Anemones (Enemion biternatum)--I'm seeing more this year, which makes me happy.

trillium 1

trillium 2

And Great White Trilliums (Trillum grandiflorum), which reduced in numbers during the drought of 2012 but appear to be making a comeback. We also have a patch of Red Trilliums (T. erectum) at a similar stage, which I'll plan to share in a future post.

How about you? What wildflowers are blooming in your garden and in your community? Consider sharing your treasures through Gail's Wildflower Wednesday meme, over at Clay and Limestone!

62 comments:

  1. There's a certain satisfaction is ripping out non-native invaders, isn't there? You have wonderful woodland plants. Your Mayapples are wonderful. I love them and am hoping mine will come back. I also have a 2nd year Wild Ginger....I had no idea it will bloom. What a nice surprise!

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    1. Yes, it does feel good to get rid of the garlic mustard and the creeping bellflower. But it's a lot of work, and they keep coming back--partly because not everyone is fighting them. The Mayapples cover a northwest-facing hill. It's fun to watch them pop out of the soil in early spring and then open up over a couple of weeks. To find the flower on the Wild Ginger, trace the stems from the two leaves down to the base, and you'll see the flower there. It's very shy and can't be seen unless you look closely. Good luck with your woodland plants, too!

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  2. Gosh, you make having a woodland look so alluring! :)

    I love the mayapples. Have seen them throughout wooded Tennessee park land.

    I *thought* I had the spring beauty (Claytonia), but after a bit of Internet sleuthing, I'm convinced it's the exotic invasive Star of Bethlehem, so I'm going to give it the heave-ho.

    Sigh.

    As for blooming wildflowers...just things I planted, which includes golden groundsel (Packera obovata), wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Robin's plantain (Erigeron pulchellus... I think there's a local annual Erigeron blooming in a couple places in the beds and lawn too), plus lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata, just starting its long bloom season).

    I did just plant the wild ginger this year, but don't think I have any flowers yet. I'm just happy that I have leaves and that it seems a lot tougher than the other ginger I tried (Hexastylis arifolia, which to be honest is more of a regional native than a true native to my part of Tennessee). I don't think the Hexastylis ever made more than 1-2 leaves. I'm not sure it's actually dead. It may pop up and make another leaf at some point this year, but it's about the farthest thing from a groundcover imaginable in my garden! ;)

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    1. You have quite a diversity of wildflowers, too! The Spring Beauties are only in a very small patch--I'd like to see them expand a little. Maybe I'll plant some more as I take out the invasives. That's what I've been doing with the Wild Ginger--apparently it's one of the few native plants that can compete effectively with some of the invasives. Lucky you, to have Wild Strawberries! Do the rabbits eat them? I'd like to plant some, but I'm afraid they'd be bunny food right away.

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  3. Oh, that was gorgeous. Did not see my Claytonia this year but lots of Trilliums and bloodroot and jacks are now appearing.

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    1. Thanks, Linda. I wish my patch of Claytonia was larger--it's such a sweet, unique, little plant. Bloodroot is definitely a favorite--I'll never forget the first time I found it back in the woods.

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  4. Lucky you having a woods of your own. I love all of these spring ephemerals.

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    1. It's definitely the most exciting time for wildflowers in the woodland. Later in the season, the other parts of the garden are more interesting. :)

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  5. What a wonderful collection of wildflowers!
    Happy Wildflower Wednesday!

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    1. Thanks, Lea. It was fun to read about your plans for your woodland, too! I'll look forward to your updates over time.

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  6. This post made me smile.
    My grandpa loved bloodroot. We would walk together and he would show me each Spring flower and share a story about it.
    Thank you for the memories!
    Carla

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    1. Aw, that's sweet. What great memories you have of your grandpa. Bloodroot is a special wildflower to find on a spring walk, since it blooms for such a short time. If you don't catch it at the right time, you miss it!

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  7. Lucky you - such lovely, delicate treasures! We are planning on getting to our wooded area on the hilltop this year, which is crawling with invasive buckthorn and wild grape. It will be a multi-year process but I'm really looking forward to seeing what will emerge once we get started. If we're lucky, our wooded area will be half as diverse as yours in time.

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    1. Yes, it's really special and I'll be sad to move away. Buckthorn and wild grape will be a challenge--good luck! Surprisingly, we don't have any invasive shrubs back there, but the garlic mustard and the creeping bellflower might eventually take over the woodland floor if we didn't pull them. I'm excited for you--I'm sure you'll find some amazing treasures!

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  8. Wow! You have great stuff! Sweet Betsy trillium is common in my woodlands, but I've added a few red this year.

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    1. We are fortunate, and the awesome thing is that I didn't plant any of these plants--they occur naturally. Love the Trilliums of all species! Ours are just starting to bloom.

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  9. Oh my. . . .
    I love what you "bring to the table!"
    Quite the collection of wild flowers.
    Thank you . . .

    I noticed Trillium yesterday . . . a much larger bunch of them this year.
    I also noticed a slip of yellow flower in the midst of a long double leaf.
    Several of them . . .
    I thought 'cow slips' but looked them up and I don't think so.
    So I question . .
    Checking for the Jack in the pulpit, keep hoping!
    My daughter has a very large blanket of May Apples under a pine forest.
    I do have three patches of Wind Flowers (my name) . . . not sure what they are.
    They are first to bloom in the woods . . . I will send you a picture.
    Maybe you can identify . . . I first thought anenome . . .

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    1. Thanks for sharing pics and stories about your wildflowers, too. I hope the Jacks will still make an appearance this spring--maybe, because they're new? If not, I will send you some seeds in the fall. They have to be planted right away when you get them.

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  10. a wonderful share especially as many of these I never see here in the UK. You certainly got up close and personal with these lovely woodland shots Beth - what a blessing to have a woodland right there to wander in and to be caretakers

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    1. Hi Laura: The spring wildflowers seem like old friends by now--I'm so happy to see them after the long, cold winter. I only wish they would last longer throughout the growing season.

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  11. Oh my, spring has sprung in your woodland! Emerging Mayapple foliage always makes me smile. Little umbrellas for the forest fairies. All of your new foliage is beautiful.

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    1. Yes, it is definitely springtime. And now we have a cool snap, which is uncomfortable, but it means the blooms will last a little longer. I agree about the Mayapples--it's quite a sight to see them popping out of the soil and through the leaf mulch.

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  12. So nice to see these woodland spring ephemerals--something we don't have here. The closeups are great!

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    1. Thanks, Hollis. I think I would miss these plants if I didn't see them each spring. But Wyoming has its allure, too. :)

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  13. Lovely precious woodland flowers! Wonderful photos thank you for the tour : ) Happy Spring!

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    1. Thanks for coming along! ;-) It's fun to walk back there and find all the woodland plants.

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  14. That's quite a crop of Mayapples you have there! As for your question on my blog, I went on the guided wildflower walk Sunday and we saw TONS in Gallistel Woods: Rue Anemone, False Rue Anemone, Toothwort, trout lily (white and yel), red trillium, bluebells, Dutchman's Breeches, Merrybells, Jacob's Ladder (last two were on the north side of Visitor Center, along the building, in the native plant gardens).

    I also wandered through Longenecker, where magnolias were in full glory and lilacs and crabapple starting to bloom. Also saw azalea, rhododendron, quince, Russian almond, forsythia, service berry and more.

    Glad I was able to get out for walks St and Sun, considering how wet and dreary the weather has been since. :-\

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    1. Yes, the Mayapples cover a nice big patch. Oh, good to know about Gallistel Woods. Yes, it's good that you had a chance for the walk before this chilly weather. I'm not wanting to go out much at all the past few days. Ick. The only good thing about it is that it's warm enough not to freeze, and cool enough to hold the spring blooms a little longer.

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  15. I love reading about wildflowers, and it's so great to see specimens from other latitudes. In Majorca a couple of weeks ago I was documenting some varieties, they are quite different than yours, but all are great. Thanks

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    1. I agree, Lula. I always enjoy seeing wildflowers in other parts of the world when I travel. They all have their own special beauty!

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  16. Party in the woodlands and everyone is dressed to the nines! Exquisite photos, Beth--just beautiful.

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    1. Thank you, Tina. It's such a joy to see them each year. I only wish they would last longer. :)

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  17. I have never seen those plants above. interesting and thank for sharing.

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    1. You are welcome. All are native to most of Eastern North America. Before Europeans settled here, they would have been quite common.

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  18. Wonderful closeups of plants unfurling, especially the pink ginger. I love the wild bit of your garden. It's not really wild, because you do tend it, but I guess with a lighter touch than other parts of the garden.

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    1. Good point, Sue. True that we do remove invasives, but that's all we did for years--until recently when I started moving a few of the native plants into the areas where we've taken out invasive plants, so they wouldn't grow back. Definitely a lighter touch. It's not really a "garden"--more of a partially assisted native woodland.

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  19. Down here in the maize & soybean desert, my woodland ephemerals are about 2 weeks ahead of you. Enhancement helps my diversity, so I have four more Trilliums, T. nivale, T. recurvatum, both natives here, T. cuneatum, and T. luteum. And our local white Trillium is T. flexipes.

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    1. You have quite a collection of Trilliums! It's always pleasant to come across them on hikes or at arboretums or nature centers.

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  20. Woodlanders are a fascinating group and all the more so for being quite fleeting! I now know, from reading your post, what 'May apples ' are!!

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    1. The woods are exciting place to visit in the spring. Yes, sad that the woodland bloomers, for the most part, have a short flowering time. I guess that makes them all the more special, as frustrating as it is not to be able to savor them.

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  21. Gorgeous photos, especially the Spring Beauties. I love the Bloodroot also, but in my garden the flowers are so darn short-lived.

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    1. Thanks, Jason. I wish I had more Spring Beauties--I might have to add some in a different part of the garden. Yes, the Bloodroot is frustrating in its truly ephemeral nature.

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  22. I have just found your website from your posting at "Wildflower Wednesday". It was a pleasure looking at all your pictures. They are beautiful.
    Jeannie
    GetMeToTheCountry.Blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Jeannie: Thanks for stopping by. I will check out your blog, too! Thanks for your kind words. I enjoy the Wildflower Wednesday meme.

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  23. Absolutely beautiful pictures - and what great names you have for your plants in America - I particularly love "bloodroot" and "mayapple".
    We do have the name jack-in-the-pulpit here in the UK, but it's used for the wild arum, Arum maculatum.
    Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thank you! Yes, the names are interesting. When I've covered these plants in more depth as "plants of the month," I've tried to include more history and information about how they got their names, etc. Your Arum and our wild Arisaema do have similar structures.

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  24. Wow, you are so fortunate to have this wooded area on your property! Seeing all those Mayapples took my breath away! Spring beauties are something I want to plant this fall. I attended a talk about bees this winter, and the speaker recommended these as an excellent early food source for the bees. But I'd also like to have everything you've pictured here:) Wonderful photos!

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    1. Hi Rose: Yes, it's fun to wander back there every few days to see what I can find. It seems like I find something new every year. I love the Spring Beauties, and I wish I had a bigger patch of them. I might try to add some closer to the house, near spring-flowering bulbs. Thanks!

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  25. Lovely photos, how nice to have woodland flowers... so pretty.
    Amanda xx

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    1. Thank you, Amanda. Yes, it's a joy to have that little section of woodland to explore. The only sad thing is the woodland wildflowers bloom for such a short time.

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  26. You sure have some beauties! I love that stand of mayapples!

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    1. I love the Mayapples, too. They were here when we moved in, but I appreciate them more every year. :)

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  27. Great close-ups of your spring ephemerals! We share a few: Bloodroot, mayapple (which I just planted this year), and trilliums. I also have some tiny wood anemones and some hepatica (liverwort -what a name!). I love them all! I love my woodland garden; it invites long pauses and exploration. There is so much to see in a woodland!

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    1. Thank you, Deb. I always thought I would find Hepaticas back in the woods, too, but I never have. Lucky you, to have some--they are beautiful, too. I agree: Woodland gardens are awesome, especially this time of year!

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  28. So many beautiful woodland flowers! I remember seeing your Asarums in previous years so two years ago I bought one Asarum lemonii - last year I had ONE flower, this year the plant is 4 times bigger, I must have a look tomorrow and see if it has started flowering, the flowers are kind of hiding under the leaves. I also have lots of arisaemas and trilliums and arum lilies - I should probably make a woodland post too if I can find the time, but I so enjoyed your photos - my kind of plants :-)

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    1. Thank you, Helene. Yes, that would be a fun post to see all your woodland plants. Since I know what your previous garden looked like, I'm trying to imagine your new space. Is it sunnier or more mixed than the previous one? From you pictures it looks like you have a little more space than before?

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    2. I have almost twice as big garden - back, side and front, but I have more paved area here than in my previous garden so not twice the area with plants. Probably just as well, I think I have enough plants soon! The garden here is around 140 m2 in total, and in addition I have 'borrowed' an area outside my fence where I have placed pots and containers. The garden has a larger area with sun part of the day, but is a nice mix of shade and sun, with a bit of planning I can grow all sorts of plants. You are always welcome to visit and see for yourself :-)

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    3. Sun and shade--that sounds great. I wish we lived closer to each other so we could visit more. I hope to get back to London someday--we really enjoyed it! :)

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  29. What a beautiful spring you are having. It is arriving slowly and swampily here. I just visited a friend who moved into a house that came with an adjoining woodland. She has great plans. I wish she knew you.

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    1. Hi Pat: It is fun to compare notes, isn't it? We've had quite a bit of rain, too, and a recent cooling. But our February was so mild that many of the plants had a head start. Now, as spring is slowly unfolding, it's actually a stunning show. Part of me wishes it was warmer, but part is happy to have so many different types of flowers blooming all at the same time. I would love to hear about your friend's woodland.

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  30. Spring beauty certainly earns its name!

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    1. Yes, it does! That pink pollen is pretty unique. It's fun to see the pollen on the legs of the pollinators. The day I was taking these photos the pollinators were more interested in other plants.

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