Eaton’s Firecracker

Posted on June 25, 2016 by tspuckler

This perennial herb produces several sprawling to erect stems reaching about 3 feet in height. I enjoy seeing the inch-long showy, tubular flowers in shades of bright red when I visit mountains in the Mojave Desert.

Eaton’s Firecracker is native to the western United States from California to the Rocky Mountains, where it grows in many types of desert, woodland, forest, and open plateau habitat. In California it is found primarily in high desert areas.

I usually see it in habitats like dry sagebrush scrub and pine woodlands. It is a type of Penstemon and does best on well-drained soils. I tend to find them in open areas, but they will tolerate semi-shaded conditions.

Its attractive flowers attract pollinators and other insects, which provide a food source for birds and other animals.

When in bloom, Eaton’s Firecracker more than lives up to its name. Its sprays of brilliant color are a bright spot in the desert ecosystem.

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Mottled Trillium

Posted on March 12, 2016 by tspuckler

While visiting South Carolina earlier this month I discovered my first wildflower of the year. Mottled Trillium is a relict species, meaning there are a few remaining groups of a species that was once more abundant when conditions were different.

Significant habitat loss has occurred through clearing of forests for agricultural and pine farm uses; in 1988 this plant was officially listed as an endangered species. Mottled Trillium grows in undisturbed hardwood forests that sometimes include mature pines and that are free of understory plants such as shrubs and vines.

This is one of the first trillium species in Georgia and South Carolina to appear in the early spring. Prior to blooming, its three mottled leaves that are blue-green, to green to silver in color.

It was totally awesome to not only see my first wildflower of the year, but also one that I have never seen before.

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Jack-in-the-pulpit

Posted on May 23, 2015 by tspuckler

A sure sign of Spring is seeing this unique plant with an interesting growth habit. Its flower structure consists of the spadix (Jack) which is an erect spike containing numerous, tiny, green to purple flowers and the sheath-like spathe (pulpit).

Two large green, compound leaves, divided into three leaflets each, emanate upward from a single stalk and provide umbrella-like shade to the flower. The fleshy stalk and leaves lend an almost tropical aura to the plant (though it can be found through the United States as well as parts of Canada).

As protection, this plant contains a high concentration of crystals of calcium oxalate which is a salt of oxalic acid (COOH), a weak acid that is an ingredient in some bleaches and anti-rust metal cleaners. The chemical is infused throughout the plant, protecting it from ingestion by insects and mammals.

In Autumn, Jack-in-the-Pulpit’s mace-like cluster of red berries at the top of an otherwise bare stem has inspired a plethora of folk names.

Jack-in-the-pulpit is a species requiring shade and is found in rich, moist, deciduous woods and floodplains. It is a long-lived perennial and can live to 25 or more years of age.

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Spring Beauty

Posted on April 26, 2015 by tspuckler

One of our prettiest and earliest-blooming wildflowers is also a delicious vegetable. It may be the definitive tater tot. Spring Beauties are small, low-to-the-ground wildflowers that feature a star-like cluster of five white to light pink flowers. Closer examination of the petals will reveal an array of fine pink stripes and a pleasant floral fragrance.

It sports grasslike, succulent, dark green leaves that usually occur in pairs. In early spring, and are usually found in pairs. It is noted for its abundance throughout many parts of its range, especially in forests.

Spring Beauty is found in the eastern two-thirds of the United States. One reason for why the spring beauty is so common is its ability to survive in areas that have suffered land degradation such as livestock grazing and partial tree removal.

According to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Spring Beauties are not only beautiful spring ephemeral, but a tasty spud-like vegetable. The tiny, sweet tubers are high in potassium and vitamin A and are a good source of calcium and vitamin C. They can be eaten raw, boiled, fried, roasted, or mashed.

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Prickly Pear Cactus

Posted on May 25, 2014 by tspuckler

This classic North American desert plant consists of about a dozen species. All have flat, fleshy pads that look like large leaves. The pads are actually modified branches or stems that serve several functions — water storage, photosynthesis and flower production.

Most Prickly Pear Cactus have yellow, red or purple flowers – even among the same species. They vary in height from less than a foot to 6 or 7 feet. Like other cactus, most prickly pears have large spines, which are actually modified leaves growing from tubercles (small, wart-like projections).

The fruits of most prickly pears are edible and sold in stores. Prickly Pear Cactus branches (the pads) can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Prickly Pear Cactus are found in all of the deserts of the American Southwest, with different species having adapted to different localities and elevation ranges.

There has been medical interest in the Prickly Pear plant. Some studies have shown that the pectin contained in the Prickly Pear pulp lowers levels of “bad” cholesterol while leaving “good” cholesterol levels unchanged.

I enjoy seeing the different forms of this “classic” desert plant whenever I visit the Mojave Desert. And with its many uses to man, who knows what other secrets this arid-dwelling succulent may reveal?

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Yellow Trout Lily

Posted on April 24, 2014 by tspuckler

A pair of brownish-mottled leaves (which resembles the colors of a Brook Trout) at the base of a stalk which bears a solitary, nodding flower, yellow on the inside and bronze on the outside, are the components of many, many Yellow Trout Lilies which carpets the forest floor at this time of year.

Yellow Trout Lily is pollinated by ants and after a seed is planted, it may take up to seven years before the plant becomes mature enough to flower.

It is a small plant, reaching only about six inches tall. Other common names for this plant are Adder’s Tongue, Fawn Lily and Dog-tooth Violet.

The common name of Adder’s Tongue is in reference the appearance of the emerging stamens of the flower, which protrude like the tongue of a snake.

Fawn Lily is a name given in regards to the plant’s two spotted leaves that to some look similar to the alert, upright ears of a fawn.

The common name of Dog-tooth Violet is in reference to the flower’s underground elongated bulb shape. It is unfortunately misleading, because this plant is not a member of the violet family.

The Yellow Trout Lily root (known as a corm) is an edible vegetable. According to the International Health Exhibition held in London in 1884, the roots were ground into a material for making confectionary. The leaves are also edible and can be eaten raw and put into salads.

The diverse array of common names for this plant are evidence of this plant’s widespread distribution throughout much of the eastern United States and of its distinctive appearance and characteristics.

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Miner’s Lettuce

Posted on March 29, 2014 by tspuckler

Miner’s Lettuce is a broadleaf plant found throughout California (except for the lower desert areas). It inhabits natural plant communities, agricultural land, and urban areas, with a preference for cool, damp conditions. It dries up with the onset of hot weather.

The flowers of Miner’s Lettuce bloom from February through May. Five to forty white to pale pink flowers on slender down-curved stalks cluster above a circular to weakly squared, often cuplike, green structure that looks like a leaf and completely surrounds the stem.

This is an edible plant with pleasingly crunchy, mild-tasting, large leaves. The plant got its name because the Gold Rush miners ate it to stave off the scurvy, which is caused by a Vitamin C deficiency. It is one of the few North American wild plants exported to Europe as a salad green.

Miner’s Lettuce is an important source of food for wildlife, providing a grazing source for gophers, quail, doves and rodents, while seed-eating birds eat the plant’s fruit. On a cool, rainy day like today, these plants seem to be thriving.

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Screwbean Mesquite

Posted on June 7, 2013 by tspuckler

Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice about Screwbean Mesquite is the unusual spiral of the seed pods from which it takes its name.

This is a medium-sized, spindly, many branched, thorny shrub with many straight, stout spines along the stems.

Native Americans relied on the mesquite pod as a dietary staple from which they made tea, syrup and a ground meal called pinole.

A favorite of bees and other insects (like this Tarantula Hawk), mesquite flowers produce a fragrant honey. Its pale to very bright yellow 2-to-3 inch spike blooms are produced from May to June.

This is a cool plant to see, smell, taste and touch in person.

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Wild Geranium

Posted on May 24, 2013 by tspuckler

“Geranium” is derived from the Greek word “geranos,” meaning crane. Though this name seems curious, it actually refers to the shape of the seed pod, not the flower. The papery seed capsules, which split lengthwise into five long peels, resemble a crane or stork.

Typical habitat for this plant is in rich forests, fields, meadows and thickets. It is usually abundant in these locations. I’ve seen a fair number of them at several places I have visited.

One of the most surprising and beautiful aspects of Wild Geranium is the color of its pollen. Unlike most wildflowers with traditionally yellow, orange, or white pollen, when viewed under a microscope Wild Geranium’s pollen is bright blue. This attracts a variety of insects which come to pollinate the flower.

Upon pollination, the plant has adapted interesting and unique techniques for spreading its seeds. After the seed capsule has formed, it dries and begins to split. As it breaks open, the seeds are propelled into the air and can land as far as thirty-feet away from the seed pod.

The seed’s journey, however, does not stop there. Each seed has “tail” which curls when dried and straightens when wet. The “tail” allows the seed to slowly creep a short distance before becoming stuck in a hole or crack.

Early Native Americans recognized the value of Wild Geranium and used it as an ingredient in many medicinal treatments.

Today, Wild Geranium extract is marketed as an anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhaging substance. It can be found in products sold in herbal stores and online.

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Marsh Marigold

Posted on April 21, 2013 by tspuckler

I got back in Ohio in time to see one of the showiest of all of our early blooming wildflowers. Marsh Marigold is found in marshy areas and wet woods.

The flowers are about 1-1/2 inches across. This plant forms loose clumps of large kidney or heart shaped waxy leaves, with branching stems 12 to 18 inches tall.

Its genus, Caltha, is Latin for “cup” and describes the upturned petal-like sepals which form a shallow cup. Though “marigold” may be a good description of its color, this is not a true Marigold, but rather, a type of buttercup.

“Back in the day” this plant had the common name of “Cowslip.” Since it often grows in low lying hilly areas, cows often slipped on it when they went to a creek to take a drink.

This plant grows along quiet waterways, such as streams and ponds. I haven’t seen it in a few years, so it was nice running into several examples of Marsh Marigold in Brecksville Reservation today.

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Category Archives: Wildflowers – Spring

Eaton’s Firecracker

Mottled Trillium

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Spring Beauty

Prickly Pear Cactus

Yellow Trout Lily

Miner’s Lettuce

Screwbean Mesquite

Wild Geranium

Marsh Marigold