Woodland Awakenings

Violets (Viola spp.)

The native plant growing season has begun, and many old friends await in the "wild" area of our property. This is the time of year to delight in new discoveries and welcome reunions. It seems appropriate to celebrate these woodland wildflowers, and the trees that protect them, on this Arbor Day.

Some ephemerals and wildflowers are blooming, while many more will burst forth in the days ahead. Here are just a few fun finds during the past few days:

 

Prairie Trillium (T. recurvatum)

Red Trillium (T. erectum)

Great White Trillium (T. grandiflorum)

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Smooth Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum)

 Ramps (Allium tricoccum)

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

False Rue Anemone (Enemion biternatum)

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)

Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia)

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

This is a special portion of the lot that we leave to nature. We don't plant or plan it (with the exception of a few Virginia Bluebells I planted several years ago). We simply remove invasive species--Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Creeping Bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides), and a few others--and let it be.

More reawakenings will greet us in the days ahead. It's always a treasured, magical portion of the growing season.

Happy Arbor Day!

Woodland Wildflowers for May Bloom Day

For this bloom day, I'm focusing on a few ephemerals and wildflowers in our woodland at the back of our garden. Many other plants are blooming, but they'll have their day. In addition to the plentiful Violets (Viola spp., above) flourishing around the property, many other wildflowers are lovely this month.



The Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are fading, but I captured a few pics before they were done.



Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) have been blooming since early April! They're such a great native plant option to support pollinators at the beginning of the season.



While the Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) flaunts its heart-shaped foliage, its fascinating, fuzzy flowers hide underneath and support flies, beetles, ants, and some butterflies.



Each year, I'm thrilled to welcome back the plentiful Jack-in-the-Pulpits (Arisaema triphyllum). They have such a unique form and are so at home in the back woods.



The Trilliums are in full bloom and seem very happy this spring. Prairie Trillium (T. recurvatum) hides under Oak leaf litter and ground cover, and always surprises me when it pops up in May.



Each year since the drought in 2012, the Great White Trilliums (T. grandiflorum) have expanded around the property. They are so regal.

And, finally, the Red Trillium (T. erectum) graces its own special spot along the woodland edge.

It's a beautiful day and month in the garden! To enjoy other lovelies on this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, visit May Dreams Gardens. 

Garden Excitement Inside and Out

Early blooms: Helleborus, Narcissus, Scilla, Chionodoxa

Spring is finally happening, and it's happening fast. The blooms in this first photo are still going, but with several days in the 80sF, they're fading. This is very unusual April weather for us.



The plants in the sunroom are happy, too, including the 'State Fair Mix' Zinnias (Z. elegans) in pots, which I'll plant outside in early May.



Yellow Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeidiana) has been blooming for weeks--such a vibrant color and form.



I was worried about the overwintered Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia spp.), but they're coming on strong now. I hope they'll bloom again this summer.



The potted Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) is happy, as well. It bloomed last summer; I hope it will happen again.



Purple Shamrocks (Oxalis triangularis) planted with English Ivy (Hedera helix) have persisted for many years, spending winters indoors and summers outside.



'Cannova Rose' Cannas (C. indica) have been reaching for the sun for several weeks now.



Oxalis 'Zinfandel' (O. vulcanicola) is blooming like crazy. I so enjoy the purple foliage with the bright yellow blooms.



My favorite Fuchsia, 'Marinka' has performed very well this winter. I trimmed back the plants in both pots, and they've come on strong, starting to bloom just in time for the return of the hummingbirds.



I won't be able to keep up with the changes outside much longer, so I'm only sharing a few bloomers at this point. Among them, Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) are showing their stuff.



The Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) I planted from seeds collected the woods in back are very happy in their new location near the house.



Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) haven't been scarfed down by the rabbits yet. Some of them are caged, so that will help.



And of course the 'Red Riding Hood' Tulips (Tulipa greigii) are caged, or they'd be eaten for sure. They'll be blooming very soon.

With all the new blooms outdoors, many butterflies have returned, including this Red Admiral nectaring on Pachysandra (P. terminalis).

So much more to come in the weeks ahead! I hope your spring is pleasant, too. Best wishes for season ahead!

(Linking in to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens, even though I'm a day early. Thanks, Carol. :)  )

June Weather in April; April Weather in May

The Trilliums are OK: l. to r., T. erectum, T. grandiflorum, T. recurvatum.

I realize that no season, month, week, or day is really "normal." But we've had a truly unusual spring this year. Yes, most Midwest springs feature unpredictable weather--popping back and forth between cold and warm; and snowy, rainy, and mild. But I don't recall a spring with truly summer weather for several days in April, a drought mid-spring, and then an extended period of cool weather into the middle of May. Most years, we have many spring days in the 60F-70F (15C-21C) range, while this year, most days have had high temps on either side of that, with a couple of days in April approaching 90F (32C).

The outcome? Many plants had an early start, and then simply paused for weeks on end. It's been a beautiful season for spring-flowering bulbs and Trilliums, because they're lasting longer. But it's changed the flow of the garden and the comfort level of the gardener.

I've seen very few migrating birds in my garden, and no orioles, rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, or scarlet tanagers. I don't know if I missed them or if more might pass through the area with the warmer weather ahead.



The Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) were up and uncoiled before I had a chance to harvest some for sautéing.



Meanwhile, the Redbud (Cercis canadensis) blooms are lasting longer than they usually do with "refrigeration."



I'm wondering if the early leaf-out of the Shagbark Hickories (Carya ovata) is hiding the bird feeders and oranges I put out for the migrating birds.



The Lily of the Valley flowers (Convallaria majalis) seem unfazed. (I need to remember pick some for a few vases.)



The Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) patch emerged early, and seemed to have an extended budding period.



Now, the Mayapples are blooming. :)



The Bugbane (Actaea racemosa) plants are farther along than I would expect. They generally don't bloom until midsummer, so it will be interesting to see how they progress this year.



The Crabapples (Malus spp.) had a short bloom time (drought, then heavy rain). I wonder how this will affect the local orchards.

And now we're entering the Lilac-blooming (Syringa spp.) period, one of the best times to visit Southern Wisconsin, in my opinion. The weather looks to warm and normalize a bit in the days ahead. Time to plant the annuals, edibles, and a few perennials!

White Trout Lilies for Wildflower Wednesday

Last spring, while hiking in a favorite county park, I happened upon a colony of White Trout Lilies (Erythronium albidum). I'd been to that park dozens (100s?) of times over the years, but I hadn't visited that sweet little section during the early spring, until last year. What a beautiful sight to see--the forest floor was literally carpeted with the dainty white blooms.



That section of the park has become a favorite destination, and I was thrilled to see the speckled foliage of these exquisite ephemerals emerging a couple of weeks ago; then flowering this week. This species of Erythronium is commonly found in low, deciduous woods; thickets; floodplains; and prairies in the early spring. Native to many areas of Eastern North America, it prefers part shade or shade, but in deciduous forests with plenty of spring sunshine.

I've noticed this plant is plentiful in the wooded section of the park very near a low spot next to the lake, while absent in the wooded hilly sections further from the shore, so it appears to need plentiful moisture.



The one-inch, nodding flowers remind me of little caps, with curled petals and shy yellow stamens that extend down from the center. The blooms hang low off short, slender stalks. One of the first native ephemerals to bloom in the spring, the flowers close up at night and open in the morning.



One thing I did notice, comparing last year's photos to this year's, is that the flowers seem to have more color when they first bloom, and fade to a stunning translucent, linen-like white with time. I don't really have favorite flowers, but...what can I say...this one is exquisite.

I'm joining in Gail's Wildflower Wednesday. Head on over to her blog, Clay and Limestone to read about other amazing wildflowers. And Happy Earth Day!

A Bit of a Nip on This Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

My USDA zone 5a garden is in a strange state of flux. We had a rather mild winter and March, so many plants were taking off. Now it's bitter cold for several days, with nighttime lows around 24F/-4C.

These photos were taken before the winds, pounding rains, and bitter cold hit. The Daffodils (Narcissus spp.) are doing OK--they've been blooming for a couple of weeks now. In fact, the cold weather is holding their blooms longer.



Little patches of Glory of the Snow (Scilla forbesii) here and there have been so cheery and affirming.



The Blue Squill (Scilla siberica), barely had a chance to break bud. But that blue color!



Hellebores, including this unknown Helleborus orientalis hybrid can take the tough weather conditions. They're a bit battered around, but they'll be OK.



Another Hellebore hybrid.



This Hellebore 'Sandy Shores' is a new one for me, and the buds are almost as pretty as the blooming flowers.



Here's 'Sandy Shores' just about to bloom. The flower has a slightly warmer color tone than some of my other Hellebores.



Yet another Hellebore, 'Blushing Bridesmaid', seems to be appropriately taking her time to bloom. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one, too, because it's a double-petaled bloomer.



I was shocked to see that the Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) was blooming in the woods. Poor little buddies--I'm sure they're pummeled and depetaled by now.  The Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is up, too, but I didn't get photos of the flowers yet.

I'm sure my May Bloom Day will be much more optimistic and floriferous. Until then, make sure to check out other posts for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.