Ohio’s Woodland Flowers Spring to Attention

Woodland flowers at Cedar Falls (Edge of Appalachia)
© Richard Baumer

by Ross Lebold, Land Protection Specialist

If you are able to get out only once this year to participate in a volunteer stewardship workday, make sure you get out during the spring. Your efforts may be rewarded with a magnificent display of our native woodland ephemeral wildflowers. These small plants create carpets of brilliant colors over the forest floor. Within a period of only a few weeks, these plants will emerge, flower, and produce seed before being shaded out by the developing leaves of the tree canopy. This is also the time of year when soil moisture and available nutrient levels are optimal for this rapid flush of growth. Once the trees have completely leafed out, many of the woodland wildflowers slowly fade into dormancy once again.

Many of these plants are highly specialized denizens of the forest ecosystem and have adapted to survive in an environment that provides a short period of time of both warmth and sunlight. They are some of the first plants to emerge early in the spring. Because they grow low to the ground, they are better protected from the spring frosts that are still occurring early in the season. Tree leaves, on the other hand, are several feet from the ground and are therefore very susceptible to frosts; thus they unfurl much later in the season. Many of the spring wildflowers have also developed energy-storing underground structures to get them through the long period of dormancy and to provide ample energy to allow a speedy emergence when the conditions are favorable. Some examples of these structures are corms, rhizomes, bulbs, and tubers. Most of these structures are specialized underground stems. Not all of the spring wildflowers are dormant once the tree canopy leafs out. Some, such as geraniums, mayapple, and trilliums, have large leaves which are able to utilize the lower levels of light available in the summer and therefore persist much longer into the season.

Trout Lily at Herrick Fen Preserve
© TNC file photo

There are several dozens of species of woodland wildflowers, some of which can be very rare or occur only in certain habitats. In Ohio’s woodlands, you are likely to encounter trout lilies, violets, dutchman’s breeches, jacob’s ladders, geraniums, and the queen of woodland flowers - the trilliums.

One of the most common of our native woodland flora is the trout lily (Erythronium americanum). While known for its small, lily-shaped flowers, its foliage is just as striking. The small, ovate leaves are mottled with colors. Trout lily usually occupies rich moist sites such as those found in floodplains and can form extensive colonies.

Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) is one of the smallest and earliest wildflowers to emerge in the woodlands. A member of the mustard family, it forms small seed-pods along its stems.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) usually occurs as solitary plants on fertile hillsides. A delicate white flower on a long stalk appears shortly before the emergence of an unusually-shaped, large, single leaf. It is named for a red fluid that is present in the roots of the plant. It was used by Native Americans as a dye.

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is a sprawling plant that is actually semi-evergreen and can form thick colonies. The stem and roots emit a smell surprisingly similar to culinary ginger. The flowers are seldom seen by the casual observer because they are covered by the large, heart-shaped leaves. If you gently separate the leaves, you can see the small, maroon to brownish-colored flowers. These unusual flowers are mainly pollinated by beetles.

Trilliums are a common spring wildflower and Ohio hosts several species. One of the more common is the large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). It is one of the largest of the spring wildflowers and is easily recognized by its whorl of three leaves and the three-petaled creamy white flower. Trilliums can occur in large colonies. It is believed that these colonies owe their existence to the efforts of ants. The trillium seeds contain a structure called a strophiole that is attractive to ants as a food source. By moving the seeds to underground burrows, the ants help ensure that the trillium seeds end up in a suitable environment for germination.

Ohio’s nature preserves are excellent places to view wildflowers. Some preserves with exceptional spring flora include Strait Creek, Edge of Appalachia, and Morgan Swamp.

The best time to view them is dependent on the weather, but wildflowers are generally present from late March to late May.

Resources:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/publications/wildflowers.htm
http://groups.msn.com/NativePlantSocietyofNortheastOhio/welcome.msn