Early Spring Blooms

In these first weeks of spring, there are flowers that bloom only at this time of year.  Most of these are out now, or will be out shortly, and they do not last very long.  Some are native wildflowers found in woodland walks, and others are cultivated in gardens.  But, all of these species bloom with warming temperatures and the rains of spring.

Green-throated snow drops, also known as giant snow drops, Galanthus elwesii, is one of the earliest flowers, often blooming while there is still snow on the ground.  It has a small flower with petals that are white on the outside and have double green spots on the inside.  They begin blooming as early as mid-February. 

White-throated snow drops, or common snow drops, Galanthus nivalis, another springtime ephemeral, bloom about a month later.  Flowers are similar with green extending the full length of the inner petal.  When spring is warm and sunny, they are here for two to three weeks, but may last longer in cooler, rainy weather.  Snow drops provide an important source of nectar and pollen for several bee species active early in the year.

Daffodils are all in the genus Narcissus.  There are thousands of varieties all having dark green leaves with a single stem supporting a lone flower, or an umbel of up to 20 blossoms.  Flowers are generally white or yellow, although orange and pink varieties have been cultivated.  Plants are rich in several alkaloid compounds used in the production of galantamine, a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.

A favorite flower early in the year is the spring crocus, Crocus vernus.  This cultivated species blooms for a few short weeks in early spring.  Flowers only open when they are brightly lit, and remain closed at night and on rainy and overcast days.  There are numerous varieties including purple, white, yellow, red, and orange, and combinations of these colors. 

Skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, is the earliest blooming native wildflower in northern Illinois and is found in wetlands including swamps, seeps, fens, and bogs.  The dark green leaves are often stained black from Septoria spiculosa, a leaf spot fungus.  The flower, a purplish-green spadix, grows from the ground to 6″ tall.  Flowers and bruised foliage both emit an odor of decay, attracting flies to pollinate the plant.  A compound fruit develops, with several sections, each containing a single seed.  Fruits mature by late summer and are eaten, carried off, or fall to the ground, where they will rot to expose the seed.

Another of our woodland natives, blue Cohosh, Caulophyllum thalictroides, is found in mesic woodlands.    A perennial, the plant grows from one to three feet tall.  After pollination, a blue, fleshy fruit develops.  The fruit is toxic to humans, but favored by mice and woodland birds, who are the primary disseminators by eating and spreading the seed throughout the forest.

Squirrel corn, Dicentra canadensis, is another ephemeral of mesic woodlands.  Often mistaken for Dutchman’s breeches, the flowers are yellow and oblong rather than white and round.  Leaves are dark green, small, and grow close to the ground, while an 8″-12″ tall stem grows up from the center ending in 3-10 hanging flowers.  Each flower develops several seeds, and each seed has its own elaiosome, a sweet food treat.  Ants will take the seeds back to their nests, eat the elaiosome and discard the seed.  Plants go dormant after the forest canopy fills in.

As you are out walking in woodlands or your neighborhood, be sure not to miss these early and brilliant colors of spring.