A Bluebell Walk in the Woods

Ephemeral Wildflowers by Woodland Path

This path is lined with masses of Virginia Bluebells, and provides a spectacular show when in full bloom. This is especially true in the Midwest where the plant seems happiest, even though it bears the name of Virginia.

It grows in moist and nutrient rich hardwood forests, not only in Wisconsin, but in the northern and eastern quarter of the United States and in southern Ontario.

Virginia Bluebells in Wisconsin

Virginia Bluebells are fairly large, tall plants that bear clusters of showy, trumpet flower clusters. The flower buds begin tinted a delicate pale pink and then deepen to a medium blue when in full flower. They aren’t as ephemeral as the earlier woodland wildflowers, and stay in bloom several weeks. The entire plant does disappear from the forest floor, though, by mid summer.

This species of bluebell was used medicinally by Native American cultures, usually made into a strong tea for the treatment of consumption and whooping cough, and was also used as a general tonic.

Trillium, The Giant Woodland Beauty

Large-flowered Trillium

The Grandiflora or Large-leaved Trillium is my favorite Spring woodland wildflower. Not common, but it is easy to spy when you come across a plant. Each specimen can grow up to 18 inches high and each flower is about 3 inches wide.

Grandiflora White Trillium

This is definitely one wildflower that should never be picked or transplanted in the wild. If the leaves are disturbed, the plant often dies, as this is the plant’s food source. In many states, it is illegal to disturb flowers in the Trillium family. The plant can be grown by seed, but it takes approximately 5 to 7 years to bloom.

Nothing Spectacular

Nothing Spectacular

Hey wait… nothing spectacular? Do you see that blue sky? the green grass? The air is clear; the land is litter free. There are no obnoxious odors, loud noises, traffic sounds. The trees are beginning to green a bit, the grassy path is a spongy cushion under tired feet. Not spectacular?

Maybe it’s only an urban conservation park, 93 acres small, but it’s a piece of green that I visit many times each week. Located only a few minutes from my home, I have probably taken a thousand photographs of this land – prairie, savanna, woodland – in the last eight months. Of the 297 posts I’ve published, 35 contain photographs taken here in Owen Conservation Park – nearly 1 in every 8.

Owen Conservation Park, one of 14 conservation parks in Madison, sits on a hilltop overlooking the city’s west side. It was the farm and retreat of a University of Wisconsin professor, Edward T. Owen and tranferred into conservancy in the 1970s. Prairies and oak savannas are reclaiming the old farmlands, and the woods provide habitat for wildlife and birds. And they provide me with a place to unwind, hike, and enjoy my photography. For that, I’m pretty thankful.

If you are interested, here is the collection of this blog’s photos of Owen Conservation Park as the different seasons settled upon it – starting with a few photos of the fantastic wildflowers that are in bloom this first part of May and ending with the park captured in mid-autumn color. (You can also see how my photography skills have changed in the past 8 months. A few of those first photos are a little on the shaky side, but I’m glad I have them posted as part of the record of my journey of the last year.)

And the park really is a beautiful parcel of land in its many different moods.

Blackbirds

Blackbirds Facing South

“Blackbird, fly.
Blackbird, fly,
Into the light of a dark black night.”

lyrics by Paul McCartney,
written in 1968, during the US race riots.

40th anniversary, death of Martin Luther King,
Civil Rights Leader

Brought to You by the Letter “S”

Sun Dial

Sun Dial © 2008 Bo Mackison

The calendar says spring. Who looks at calendars anyway? It’s time to rely on ancient wisdom and consult the snow dial.

Let’s see. Thursday, March 27, 2008, 10:52 am, CDT. Ah, the snow dial says it’s SNOWING. Those ancients are pretty darn smart. They are correct.

This photograph is brought to you by the letter “S”. “S” is for Spring. “S” is for Snow. “S” is for Snowy-Spring. (with my fond regards to Sesame Street – maybe I’ll go sit with Bert and Ernie for awhile and stew)

“S” is for Sigh!

But “S” is also for Smile.