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April 29, 2009
Aquilegia canadensis
Aquilegia canadensis (columbine) Columbine is a great native wildflower bursting into bloom locally. In central Indiana, it's mostly found growing wild along streams, but this is a plant that you can easily grow in your flower gardens at home. It's a perennial (low-maintenance), and it will even self-seed. The hummingbirds will thank you for growing it--they love the nectar these flowers produce. The nectar deposits are located in the long spurs of the petals (at the top of the flower in the photo above). When the hummingbird feeds, it can facilitate cross-pollination as pollen from the yellow anthers gets brushed onto the bird's head or throat and then get carried to another flower, where the pollen might land on the stigmas (the bottom-most structures in the photo).
Quercus spp.
Quercus spp. (oaks) Oaks are beginning to bloom and to leaf out in the campus arboretum. Like many of our local tree species, oaks are wind-pollinated and so produce their flowers before leaves can get in the way of pollination. The photo above shows the male flowers of Quercus marilandica (black-jack oak). These flowers are highly reduced (they're not much more than stamens that produce large quantities of pollen) and are arranged in inflorescences called catkins. You'll start to notice them littering the ground after they've released all of their pollen. The female flowers are even less conspicuous, but they will ultimately develop into a far more familiar structure, the acorn (the oak's fruit). Oaks are, for many botanists, quite challenging to identify. This results primarily from the tendency of these species to hybridize, resulting in many intermediate individuals that persist for a long time in local oak populations. The particular species depicted above is relatively uncommon in Indiana. It mostly occurs in the southwestern part of the state on thin, poor soils on high ridges.
Mitella diphylla
 
Mitella diphylla (two-leaved mitrewort)
This lovely plant is blooming locally now--why not go to Pine Hills to check it out? Mitella diphylla is a member of the plant family Saxifragaceae, which also includes some common ornamental species such as coral bells. M. diphylla doesn't look like much from afar, but its small flowers are worthy of close inspection. The petals are highly divided (fimbriate) and make for a striking (if miniature) spectacle.
April 27, 2009
Uvularia grandiflora
Uvularia grandiflora (merrybells) Uvularia grandiflora is a delightful member of the lily family (Liliaceae). This species can be distinguished from other local members of the genus by its perfoliate leaves--it looks like the stem actually punctures the leaf near its base, which you can see in the photo near the flower (ignore the leaves at the bottom of the photo--they belong to something else). Merrybells are actually edible--the young shoots can be eaten like asparagus, though it's not a good idea to decimate local populations. Go wild asparagus hunting instead!
Silene virginica
Silene virginica (fire pink) Fire pinks are striking spring-flowering plants--their red petals really stand out in the forest at this time of year. The common name of this species confuses many people as the flowers aren't actually pink, but they are pinked. This plant belongs to a family (Caryophyllaceae) in which most species have notched petals, as you can see in the photo above. They look like they were cut with pinking shears (scissors that make a zig-zag cut)...sort of.
Phacelia bipinnatifida
Phacelia bipinnatifida (forest phacelia) P. bipinnatifida is a truly lovely native wildflower that is blooming locally. You can recognize it by its blue flowers and compound leaves. This plant is bee-pollinated and smells rather foul if crushed. This species is relatively uncommon in our area, so keep your eyes peeled for it!
April 23, 2009
Cornus florida
Cornus florida (dogwood) Dogwood trees are just beginning to come into flower in Crawfordsville this week. This native species is known for its showy "flowers", which are in fact aggregates of flowers (the small, inconspicuous yellow things above) surrounded by four large, white bracts. There's a bad joke that you can recognize a dogwood by its bark (groan...), but it's actually true! Check it out this spring.
Arisaema triphyllum
Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) Jack-in-the-pulpit is a delightful late spring flowering plant that is beginning to emerge locally. Its many tiny flowers are borne on a stubby inflorescence called a spadix and are surrounded by a modified leaf called a spathe. "Jack" is the spadix, and the "pulpit" is the spathe. Individual plants produce either male or female flowers in any given year, but the sex switches depending on resource availability. Younger plants with fewer energy reserves tend to produce male flowers (sperm is cheap!), but after several years they will produce female flowers (eggs and fruit are expensive). Usually a plant that has recently fruited (i.e., was female) will revert to maleness again for a few years while recovering from the energy-intensive project of making seeds. Look out for the fruits later in the season--the bright red berries are quite beautiful...if the deer don't get to the plants first. Unfortunately, this is one of their favorite snacks. Save a plant--go deer hunting this fall!
April 20, 2009
Erythronium americanum
Erythronium americanum (trout lily) Trout lilies are common components of our spring flora and enjoy a brief flowering season in late April to early May. Their common name derives from the facts that they are found in the lily family (Liliaceae) and that their leaves are speckled, like trout. These perennial plants only flower when they've saved up enough energy to produce their showy reproductive organs. Flowering individuals produce two leaves; those that won't flower only produce one. Next time you see these plants, you should be able to get a sense that flowering is probably pretty rare in this species since most individuals produce only one leaf each year.
Asarum canadense
Asarum canadense (wild ginger)
Wild ginger, not to be confused with the ginger whose rhizome is used in cooking (Zingiber officinale), is one of our more subtle spring ephemerals. The flowers in this species are produced close to the ground, so you may have to push aside the heart-shaped leaves to find them. There are some healthy clumps of this species in Petty's Patch, and they are well worth a visit. 
The flowers of Asarum canadense are this brownish-maroon color for a very good reason: the major pollinators of this species are flies. Flies, as you may well know, are often attracted to decaying flesh, as this provides a perfect breeding ground for their eggs. Many plant species, including wild ginger, take advantage of the flies' routine by producing flesh-colored flowers (and some even emit a scent reminiscent of rotting meat) to lure in the unsuspecting insects, who then may transport pollen to other flowers.
Cercis canadensis
Cercis canadensis (redbud)
Redbud is one of our most beautiful native spring-flowering trees. This member of the legume family (Fabaceae; Leguminosae) produces an abundance of purple-pink flowers before its heart-shaped leaves expand. I'm told the flowers can be sprinkled on salads--it sounds lovely, but I'm not sure how it will taste! Just like all members of this family, the flowers will later turn into legumes (better known as pods), a distinctive fruit type not found in other plant groups. Watch for these as the season progresses.
April 16, 2009
Trillium sessile
Trillium sessile T. sessile is one of our earliest-flowering Trillium species locally. This genus is named for its three leaves, and this particular species gets its specific epithet (the second part of its binomial) from the fact that the flower is sessile (isn't borne on the stalk--called a "peduncle"--that you see in other Trillium species). Be careful not to disturb local populations of Trillium--these beautiful flowers are often poached for home gardens or retail nurseries, so our populations can be quite stressed.
Isopyrum biternatum
Isopyrum biternatum This member of the buttercup family is blooming in local wooded areas--look for it in the arboretum (especially in Petty's Patch) or in any moist forested area. These delicate plants are a sure sign of spring.
Mertensia virginica
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Mertensia virginica
Virginia bluebells (not to be confused with Texas, Scottish, English, Australian, or South African bluebells, all of which are completely different and unrelated species--this is why common names are virtually useless!) are blooming in local woodland areas now. You can find a particularly nice population that blankets the ground at Pine Hills Nature Preserve. When you see these plants, take a close look at the flowers--the stamens (the pollen-producing structures with the bright yellow anthers) are fused to the petals, which is a common feature of plants in this family (and several others that are closely related).
April 07, 2009
Dirca palustris
Dirca palustris (leatherwood) Leatherwood has been blooming for the past week or so in local forests. Dirca palustris is a small woodland shrub and is relatively uncommon in Indiana, though it is quite frequent in neighboring Parke County, where there is a creek named after it. One of the interesting things about this plant is that its bark can be used to make a rope, and the young shoots can be woven into baskets. If you encounter one of these plants, try breaking off a bit of stem. It's really hard to get a clean break--you're likely to end up with a long string of bark.
Caulophyllum thalictroides
Caulophyllum thalictroides Blue cohosh is one of our more unusual spring ephemerals--the emerging plant's abundant blue-tinged wax gives it a ghostly appearance as it makes its way out of the ground. This species is well known for its toxic properties, so beware! Blue cohosh is a member of the plant family Berberidaceae, which also includes Berberis spp. (barberry--common cultivated, and sometimes invasive, shrubs), Nandina (heavenly bamboo, another ornamental shrub), and mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), which is popping out of the ground now--the leaves unfurl like umbrellas as they emerge.
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