Many of our wildflowers, especially those that grow in mature, hardwood forest habitat, must get their act together early in the season if they are to acquire enough sunlight to produce seed. The plants are called spring ephemerals which means they last for only a very short time, sometimes only a day. This is especially true in Canada’s high Arctic.
They flower early and disappear soon after, but for a short time the forest floor is covered with their blooms. That they exist at all is only because they have been able to solve the problem of low light intensity. After the leaves of the hardwood forest emerge, it is a dark place and few plants on the forest floor are able to survive.
The spring ephermals have solved the low light problem by storing energy over winter in a bulb or tuber. In the spring when conditions become favourable – temperature, sunlight and soil moisture – they release this stored energy and throw up leaves and flower stalks. They bloom as soon as possible and produce seed while there is still enough of light. However, if spring passes too quickly these plants do not get time to set seed and must wait another year to mature.
Hepaticas are often the first to bloom. In fact, before any leaves appear they flower. All their stored energy is put into flower heads and they forget about the leaves.
Some of the previous year's leaves may still be able to catch some sunlight and produce enough energy for their needs. New leaves are produced later when the seed is produced. Bloodroot (so named because of the orange-red sap that oozes from its roots and flower stalks) spring beauty and blue cohash are other early bloomers. The flowers attract whatever insects which are active, ladybird beetles for example, to pollinate the flowers.
The leaves of the wild onion, purple and yellow violet, trilliam, Dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn soon spring up through the fallen leaves. The blotched, green leaves of the yellow trout lily (dog-tooth violet) appear as soon as the snow melts. Only a small percentage of trout lilies actually bloom and only where conditions are perfect. Wild onion is the opposite of the early blooming hepatica. Their leaves are among the first to appear, often while there is still patches of snow about, the flowers appear a short time later. The leaves grow quite large but die from the lack of sunshine as soon as the trees leaf out.
As summer approaches, the forest crown becomes thick with leaves and the forest floor darkens. The petals of the violets, lady slippers, red trilliums and clintonia drop off and the wildflower show in the hardwood forest is over for another year. Fortunately, the ephemerals have stored next year's energy in an underground bulb and are ready for a quick start when the sun is just right the next spring.
Photos by Clayton Rollins
They flower early and disappear soon after, but for a short time the forest floor is covered with their blooms. That they exist at all is only because they have been able to solve the problem of low light intensity. After the leaves of the hardwood forest emerge, it is a dark place and few plants on the forest floor are able to survive.
The spring ephermals have solved the low light problem by storing energy over winter in a bulb or tuber. In the spring when conditions become favourable – temperature, sunlight and soil moisture – they release this stored energy and throw up leaves and flower stalks. They bloom as soon as possible and produce seed while there is still enough of light. However, if spring passes too quickly these plants do not get time to set seed and must wait another year to mature.
Hepaticas are often the first to bloom. In fact, before any leaves appear they flower. All their stored energy is put into flower heads and they forget about the leaves.
Some of the previous year's leaves may still be able to catch some sunlight and produce enough energy for their needs. New leaves are produced later when the seed is produced. Bloodroot (so named because of the orange-red sap that oozes from its roots and flower stalks) spring beauty and blue cohash are other early bloomers. The flowers attract whatever insects which are active, ladybird beetles for example, to pollinate the flowers.
The leaves of the wild onion, purple and yellow violet, trilliam, Dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn soon spring up through the fallen leaves. The blotched, green leaves of the yellow trout lily (dog-tooth violet) appear as soon as the snow melts. Only a small percentage of trout lilies actually bloom and only where conditions are perfect. Wild onion is the opposite of the early blooming hepatica. Their leaves are among the first to appear, often while there is still patches of snow about, the flowers appear a short time later. The leaves grow quite large but die from the lack of sunshine as soon as the trees leaf out.
As summer approaches, the forest crown becomes thick with leaves and the forest floor darkens. The petals of the violets, lady slippers, red trilliums and clintonia drop off and the wildflower show in the hardwood forest is over for another year. Fortunately, the ephemerals have stored next year's energy in an underground bulb and are ready for a quick start when the sun is just right the next spring.
Photos by Clayton Rollins
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