Everyone can relate to waiting for the harbingers of spring after a dreary winter- the return of critters and crawlers, heavy rains, and warmer weather – but one of everyone’s favorite preludes to spring is the spring wildflower. They provide much-needed pops of color in the gray winter landscape and remind us of the brighter seasons ahead. In preparation for the program Nature in a Blink: Wildflower Walk (register at this link), we are sharing some information about the humble wildflower and how vitally important and impressively resilient these species are.  

We are at the time of year where you may be seeing ephemeral spring wildflowers popping up in your yard or your local parks. They are the first flowers to emerge, as they take advantage of the abundant spring sunlight prior to tree canopies growing in. This is part of why they are known as ephemeral- ephemeral means “lasting for a short time”. These flowers grow, bloom, and spread their seeds rapidly in just a few weeks to minimize resources. Due to their short window to bloom, they are forced to be very hardy- tolerant of most soil and the volatile spring weather.  

A host of other species, specifically early pollinators, rely on the early spring wildflowers as their main source of pollen or nectar when they first emerge after winter. Bees, flies, solitary wasps, beetles, and butterflies all need the ephemeral spring sprouts when their other options are still scarce in the first few weeks of the season. Queen bumble bees especially need wildflower pollen and nectar to start rebuilding their colony after winter. 

Unfortunately, ephemeral wildflowers face many threats causing a decline in their numbers year after year. Things like lawn herbicides, invasive species, overbrowsing by white-tailed deer, climate change, fragmenting habitats, and human poaching all contribute to the decline of ephemerals. Wildflowers also take several years to fully establish, some as long as 5-7. This creates a domino effect impacting local pollinators, birds, and the biodiversity of our local ecosystems. Eliminating the use of lawn herbicides and removing invasive species from your property can have a huge impact on spring ephemeral populations in your community.

MetroParks to Visit for Ephemerals:

• Indian Creek MetroPark
• Governor Bebb MetroPark
• Rentschler Forest MetroPark
• Sycamore Bluffs MetroPark
  

Species to Look For:

• Dutchman’s Breeches – look like upside-down pants, hanging on a line
• Bloodroot– each stalk has one large leaf that wraps around a white flower
• Jack in the Pulpit – shaped a little like a calla lily, related to the houseplant, philodendron
• Spring Beauty – one of the first flowers to emerge in the spring. Has white flowers with pink “landing strips” to guide pollinators to nectar and pink pollen 
• Miami Mist
• Wild Ginger – maroon, fuzzy flowers grow low to the ground and attract beetles and flies that are attracted to stinky scents (mimics rotting flesh) 
• Cut-leaved Toothwort
• Several species of Trillium – can take 5-7 years to flower and rely on ants to carry away and bury their seeds 
• Virginia Bluebells