Spring Wildflowers, 2010

Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica.

Photo from 2009

My mother and I took a wildflower walk at the Cincinnati Nature Center this afternoon. It was a large group - 25 people or more - and when that many people get strung out along a woodland trail, the folks in the back often miss what the trip leader at the front is saying. So, yours truly took it upon herself to act as auxiliary leader, pointing out plants and distributing names and any interesting facts I knew. At first, I think my mom was a bit embarrassed when I took charge of the back half of the group, but she soon realized I couldn't help myself and resigned herself to admitting her offspring is, at least in part, a teacher.

One person asked me if I was on the staff at CNC. "No," I said, "I'm just an obnoxious know-it-all." Another gentleman asked me how I knew everything that I did, and I really didn't have an answer. After 20 plus springs of walking, studying, and learning, you just know. While I will never be a botanist, one of the things I do know is Ohio's spring wildflowers. Here are a few of the things we saw today:

Squirrel-corn, Dicentra canadensis, a relative of Bleeding Heart and the plant below.
Dutchman's breeches, Dicentra cucullaria. Photo from 2009

Dwarf Larkspur, Delphinium tricorne, also known as Spring Larkspur. Most were still in bud. This one, on a south-facing slope, was in bloom.

Wild Blue Phlox, Phlox divaricata,
also called Blue Phlox or Wood Phlox.

Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica.

When photographing the bells,
it helps if someone turns them over.

There were plenty Wild Ginger plants, Asarum canadense, with their fuzzy buds just emerging, but this photo is from 2009, since I forgot to take any pictures of this year's crop. The deep reddish-brown flower lays on the ground, and is pollinated by beetles.

False Rue Anemone, Enemion biternatum. I always have a hard time remembering how to tell the difference between this and the plant below,
Rue Anemone, Anemonella thalictroides. Our leader gave me a good tip: In "true" Rue Anemone, there is usually one large and two or more smaller flowers clustered together, as in the photo above. False Rue Anemone only has a single flower.

Sessile Trilium, Trilium sessile, also called Toadshade Trilium was in full bloom. Yes, this apparently half-opened bud is as big as the flower gets. (Photo from 2009)

This Nodding, or Bent, Triliuim, Trilium flexipes, is barely in bud. This is the most confusing of Triliums, as it may have an upright or a dangling flower, and comes in white or red. All trilium species share one trait, however - they all have parts of three: three leaves, three sepals, three petals.

Yellow Trout-lily, Erythronium americanum. White trout-lily has already gone to seed. Missed it again! Bloodroot was gone, too.

One thing I was glad to find was Jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum. It always makes me smile.

After missing this wildflower for the last three springs, I was even happier to see one of my favorite wildflowers,
Blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia verna. While most of the other wildflowers shown above are perennials, this is the only annual spring wildflower I know, sprouting in the fall and flowering in early spring. Isn't it a beauty?

The spring show lasts only a few more weeks. Get out and see the wildflowers before they're gone for another year.

Face to Face with Fellow Face-bookers

It is rare when my weekend off coincides with the Saturday morning bird walks at CNC, so I knew today was going to be a good day when I looked at my calender. When the Cincinnati weather people were all forecasting a high of 72 degrees and low humidity levels, the day promised to be even better. But, when three local birding friends were available to meet at the Cincinnati Nature Center for a morning of walking, talking, laughing, and oh, yes - nature-watching - I was certain today would be the best day of the summer.

Darlena Graham,
yet another trip leader who must suffer the Flock and our foibles

After meeting up in the parking lot (and discussing the state of our FarmVille farms), we hit the trails,

visiting ponds,

bird walk participants at Lotus Pond
Susan, naturally, is not paying attention.

fields,

and woods.

CNC volunteers have done a great job
clearing the understory of invasive honeysuckle.

the log cabin at Matt's Pond

Farmer Nina is outstanding, by a field.

Susan gets up-close and personal with a fun guy. (Fungi. Get it?)

My three amigas - Each one is pointing to a place where she thinks she sees a bird.

left to right: Mary Ann, Nina, Susan

Lots of nature was present today, including insects like this "dog day" (annual) cicada (not to be confused with last year's irruption of periodical cicadas, aka "17 year locusts")

For the record, no, I did not throw this one on Susan.

And plants. Too beautiful to be called weeds, I prefer the term "wildflower" for these gems.

Ironweed

Jewelweed

For Jim McCormac: a sedge.

Nut sedge, I think.

"Sedges have edges."

Finally, the trip list. If you think you were going to get through a post about a bird walk and NOT get a Trip List, you obviously haven't been reading this blog very long.

Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue Jay
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Scarlet Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

In addition, there was a bird that I initially called a female Scarlet Tanager, but something about it wasn't right. In retrospect, I think it was a female Orchard Oriole.

24 species plus one question mark isn't that great of a trip list, but notice - no starlings or house sparrows, a four woodpecker day (anything over 3 woodpecker species constitutes a good day for me), and some really cool birds. Plus, the fun of being with friends topped my day.

Yes, today was definitely the best day of the summer. So far.

Wordless Wednesday: Painted Turtle

Take a walk with me

It's a beautiful spring afternoon, the native wildflowers are in bloom, and I have a blog post to write. Sounds like it's time to take a walk at the Cincinnati Nature Center. Wanna come along with me?
For peace and quiet, a road less traveled, and the best wildflowers, we have to leave the busy upland trails and descend into the valley. Let's take the Limestone Steps. Watch your footing!
The first flowers we see aren't wild at all, but are still an important part of CNC's legacy. Here is just one of millions of daffodils which grace the property and which are in full bloom today, just in time for Easter.
The first native flowers are Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica. These hardy plants form mass carpets

which line the path we walk.

Nothing beats the blue of their flowersunless it is the variations found in their buds.

It is a slow hike, since we keep stopping to admire the flowers, the view, and even the small fossils underfoot.
Probably the most common wildflower in bloom today, Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica, is everywhere.Even fighting its way up through the glossy leaves of the introduced invasive, Creeping Myrtle, Vinca minor, aka Common Periwinkle.

The path continues down, and so do we.The valley floor is in sight.

We're almost there -

Ah - we made it!

The Geology Trail follows Avery's Run, which is full and fast after all the recent rain. I had hoped we might find one of our earliest returning warblers today - Louisiana Waterthrush. This is prime habitat for them. Alas, we strike out. (After returning home, I discovered that the early morning CNC bird walk participants found four.)

The walk along Geology Trail is deceptively easy
giving us time to search among the invasive Lesser Celadine, Ranuculus ficaria, for some hidden native gems, like this Yellow Trout-lily, Erythronium americanum. The nodding flower faces the earth, making it hard for us to truly appreciate its beauty.

Uh, oh - what's that I see?

Remember that swift moving stream?
We are about to have a close encounter with it.

Are your feet still dry?
Good, because there is another stream crossing ahead.Watch out! Don't drop your camera
in the miniature rapids of Avery's Run!Let's keep moving, we've got a lot more to see.

The only problem with going downhill is that eventually you have to go back up. Our reward for this effort will be some of the best wildflowers at CNC, here along the appropriately name Wildflower Trail.

Cutleaf Toothwort, Cardamine concatenata, greets us at the foot of the hill.

Is there anything sweeter than a violet?Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia

Yes, a whole group of them.
Or, a yellow violet, always a treat.

Downy Yellow Violet, Viola pubescens

The Bloodroot has gone to seedand the Mayapples are just coming on,but the Dutchman's Breeches are exploding.Can you see the tiny ant?

Its less common relative, Squirrel Corn can be found if we look hard enough. I don't know about you, but I can't tell these two Dicentra apart by the foliage alone. I need the flower to make the ID.

One of my favorite wildflower groups is the Trillium family. Trillium have all their parts in threes - three leaves (actually bracts), three sepals, and three petals on their flowers. We have two of them at CNC, and lucky us, we find them both today.

Sessile Trillium, also called Toad Shade, can be identified without a flower by these spotted leafy bracts.This is as much as the unusual dark red flower will open.There are scads of toadshades along our walk today, but we are about to discover a prize.Nodding (or Bent) Trillium, Trillium flexipes, with its nearly hidden bud. They are much less common at CNC. We only find three plants on Wildflower Trail. We meet a knowledgable flower lady who tells us that the deer are doing their best to eat every Nodding Trillium on the property. Sessile Trillium has a strong, unpleasant odor, and I presume it must taste equally bad to the deer.

And now, for that annual question - Rue Anemone or False Rue Anemone? Whose idea was it to give such lovely flowers such confusing names?

False Rue Anemone, Isopyrum biternatum

Rue Anemone, Thalictrum thalictroides

Finally, just for my sister, who loves this sort of thing, a soft moss, up close and personal.

click on any image to enlarge

I hope you enjoyed our walk today.

***Edit, 4/13: Thanks to Jim McCormac for identification tips.