Spring has arrived here in New England…very early this year and some would argue that we never even had a winter at all. But our native wild plants respond as they always do to the warming temperatures and the sunshine beaming through the as-yet-leafless trees – by bursting forth with flowers specially designed to tempt the pollinating insects that are emerging from hibernation and looking for a good meal. Right now, the bright yellow blooms of marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) are in full bloom in wet areas across New England, along with the small fuzzy flowers (inflorescences) of wetland sedge grasses (Carex):
Cheery yellow flowers of Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) growing alongside skunk cabbage and a wetland sedge grass
The marsh marigold wasn’t the first flower blooming in this spot this year…the eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) flowered several weeks ago, with its brownish-red flower spathe that emits the characteristic skunky “stink”, actually a clever tactic to lure certain types of cold-hardy fly to visit its flowers for pollination.
The native serviceberries were in full bloom this weekend until the rain took out the blooms yesterday. We saw plenty of pollinating insects visiting their white flowers in last week’s good weather, so nesting bluebirds, orioles, cardinals, robins and thrushes should have a good berry crop to feed them in June when the berries form.
Apple Serviceberry (Amelanchier grandiflora) blooming in April at Turkey Hill Brook Farm
In my north-facing river valley in central MA, my bloodroots are blooming in a succession down the hill. The plant highest on the hill bloomed first (last week), and those further down are just starting to bloom now:
White bloodroot flowers with their yellow stamens look very inviting to flying pollinators, but this plant is a pollinator trickster - the flowers offer no nectar in return for pollination services. Photo copyright Ellen Sousa/THBFarm.com
I love the tulip-like effect of bloodroot flowers as they unfurl each morning as the weather warms:
Leaves emerging around bloodroot flowers. Doesn't the leaf on the left look like a blanket wrapped around a tiny doll?
One of our native trilliums, Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum) is blooming in maroon along the roadside seeps and culverts. Another name for this plant is Stinking Benjamin, referring to the fetid smell it emits to lure pollinating flies. There must be plenty of those pollinators around, because these and other trillium readily seed themselves here and there…
Purple Trillium blooming along a roadside culvert in Spencer, MA. Garlic Mustard (an invasive non-native plant) has recently arrived on this roadside and threatens these populations of native plants.
At Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Mass., the spring ephemerals have burst into full glory and every path and vista holds its own surprises:
East coast US native plants Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) and Virginia Bluebells in full bloom in the woodland gardens
At Tower Hill Botanic Garden, the Witch-alder (Fothergilla) shrubs are at their finest:
Fothergilla at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, W. Boylston, Mass.
Large Witch-alder (Fothergilla major) and Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) are shrubs native to the southern east coast USA, but they are hardy in New England gardens – increasingly so as our average temperatures rise. Their flowers look like bottle brushes:
Fothergilla flowers attract spring bees with their honeylike fragrance. Photo copyright Ellen Sousa/THBFarm.com
Also at Tower Hill, the Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) used as a streetside groundcover is loaded with its tiny blueberry-like blooms, ready for buzz pollination by small native bees:
Like its heath family relative the blueberry, bearberry will set copious fruit when its flowers are visited in spring by small native bumble bees foraging for nectar and pollen.
What’s waking up in your wildlife gardens right now? It’s a thrilling time of year for gardeners, as cherished plants are spotted poking through the ground after a strange winter with no snow. But get up close and take a look at the pollinators visiting those flowers, and you’ll discover a whole new world of complex and fascinating wildlife interactions, free for the looking…
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We’re in a suburb of Chicago (zone 5), and this appears to be an excellent year for Serviceberries. I suspect or native viburnums will also produce an excellent crop.
Amazingly after the drought (no significant precipitation since January) and the unusually hot weather this spring in the east, all of the native flowering shrubs seem to be in fine form this year…hoping the blueberries will bear well too!
Ellen Sousa recently posted..NWF and ScottsMiracle-Gro? No!
My Serviceberry is now in full bloom … just in time for today’s snow (sigh). Noticed my Wild Ginger has flowers. It is on my list for next year to plant Spring ephemerals instead of bulbs, especially Bloodroot – beautiful!
thevioletfern recently posted..Project: Bottle Border
Snow – how cruel!! Our wild ginger is also sporting its strange flowers…although you have to get down to ground level to see them. Never sure who is pollinating them but because of the red/maroon color I suspect it’s some kind of beetle or fly – perhaps nocturnal…
You will love the bloodroot!
Ellen Sousa recently posted..NWF and ScottsMiracle-Gro? No!
I have the skunk cabbage and the sedge grass in my wetland here in Michigan. I want to add some early flowering native plants so the bees have something to eat in early spring. Thanks for the list. I’ll check with the native plant nurseries here to see the equivalent.
Mary @ Going Native recently posted..Design With Natives
Mary – you can’t go wrong with the Bearberry which is native to MI…excellent for shallow, well-drained soil and the buzz pollinating bees will have a field day with all the small flowers…
Ellen Sousa recently posted..NWF and ScottsMiracle-Gro? No!
Wonderful post Ellen! It is a thrilling and exciting time of year. I have Shadblow Serviceberry in full bloom now and the pollinators are a treat to watch and listen to. Butterflies too! Yours looks fabulous! One to find! I am headed out to visit the Garden in the Woods nursery nearby this Sat. Nasami Farm is only a few minutes away. How lucky is that!
Carolflowerhill recently posted..Spring Spreads Swaths of Sweetness in Petals and Song
Carol, sooo envious of your proximity to Nasami Farm – always looking for an excuse to get out that way so I can drop in there…enjoy
Ellen Sousa recently posted..NWF and ScottsMiracle-Gro? No!
My bloodroot and hepatica bloomed early followed by trilliums, Trout Lilies and VA bluebells….with the lack of sufficient snow cover they said to expect the natives early
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..I’ve Been Missing You
As always, great writing. I’m enjoying watching the flowers bloom in the forest here. I don’t know enough to tell which flower is which, but I’m learning.
Thanks for teaching me so much!
Daen
Daen Tyler recently posted..Starting Flowers by Seed: Now is a Good Time for use April 18 or later
Daen, there is a new online tool from New England Wild Flower Society that helps you ID the wild plants you see in New England:
http://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/simple/
It might help you out, along with a good field guide to New England such as the ones published by Audubon…
Ellen Sousa recently posted..NWF and ScottsMiracle-Gro? No!
Thanks! I love the online plant identifier. I use an app on my Android so that I can get instant results. I’ve been thinking about expanding my nature library. Right now it consist of ‘The Green Garden’ and ‘Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast. Those both came highly recommended. I had a bunch of Audobon books but when I moved, I lost them.
Daen Tyler recently posted..Spring Tasks in the Garden
Ellen, what a beautiful presentation of quite a variety. I love the serviceberry (need to see if that would work down here). The bloodroot flowers are so tulip-like and that photo of the leaf protecting the one is outstanding. Thanks for sharing a nice day in the garden
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Ellen, thanks for the spring ephemeral tour. Unfortunately due to field work its probably the closest I will get this spring. Everything just happened too early!
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