Wildflower Bonanza

Over the weekend, I spent quite a few hours hiking in area hardwood forests. I took these photographs in Owen Conservation Park in Madison. The ephemeral spring flowers, the ones growing on the forest floor under the trees not yet leafed out, are putting on a big show, though about 3 to 4 weeks later than typical.

Cut-leaved Toothwort

The Cut-leaved Toothwort is one of these ephemeral wildflower; it blooms in the Eastern hardwood forests before the trees’ leaves shade the forest earth. The crisp roots of this plant are said to taste like watercress.

Wild Ginger Wildflower

Wild Ginger blooms spring-early summer in the Northern tier of states from Minnesota to New England. It is hard to see because it lies on the ground at the stalk of the flower and blends in with the earth – this is the first one I have found, though I think they are considered somewhat common. The roots have a fragrance and flavor of ginger, and once were used as a flavoring and to treat colds and coughs.

Bloodroot

The Bloodroot is finally in bloom in the woodlands. The flower is found near the ground, and I moved a huge umbrella of the plant’s foliage to take its photo. I have always seen this bloom in early April and usually the petals of the bloodroot are broader than those seen in this photo. Guess this guy was on a diet! (or maybe he had too much snow!)

Large-flowered Bellwort

The Large-flowered Bellwort has flowers that never really open, they just hang like this. I found huge clumps of these in the ravines of the sun-drenched forest. It grows in the eastern half of Canada and the United States, except for Florida, though it is on a few states’ endangered species lists.

Dutchman's Breeches

I found scads of these Dutchman’s Breeches in the same ravines with the Bellwort and also there were lots of Periwinkles and a few trillium just opening. I love this plant’s name – they do look like a little clothesline of britches for a dozen little men. Folklore says the flower was used in love potions and spells. One of its other names is Little Blue Staggers because it caused cows to stagger in a “drunken’ state when they grazed on too much of the plant as it is toxic. Breeches are found in the eastern half of the US, except for the far south.

Finally – a great weekend, if I minus out the tornado warnings on Friday night, for wildflower catching-up.

Three Violets – Oops, Four! – Which is Your Favorite?

There are over 900 species of violets, but I only have three four to share with you so far. And if you read all the way to the end of this post – there’s a contest and prizes in celebration of Seeded Earth reaching visit # 30,000 a day ago.

Confederate Violet

I have always called this a Confederate Violet, though it isn’t listed as such in wildflower guides. The name seems to refer to its color resemblance to the Confederate uniforms worn during the Civil War, which were a pale gray-blue color.

It is actually an atypical Common Blue Violet, (the violet in the next photo) and mostly enjoyed by us folks in the Midwest US.

Common Blue Violet

This is the Common Blue Violet. It blooms March through June, and is found throughout the eastern half of US. This species of violet is as common in my yard as my grass. And nearly as common as my dandelions and clover. 🙂

Its leaves are high in Vitamin A and C and can be used in salads or cooked as greens, and the flowers can be made into candies and jellies. Here’s a recipe for Violet Jelly. It was my favorite from all the ones I read, because the jelly-maker was concerned enough to give us a hint so the jelly doesn’t look like it’s full of wilted bugs!

Sweet White Violet

This is the Sweet White Violet, and is much whiter than the Confederate and also has a nice fragrance. (Many violets do not have a fragrance.) This violet is fairly simple to find in the northern part of the United States east of the Mississippi River. It blooms in April- May in wooded areas.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of this violet is the backbending and twisting of the two upper petals. It’s the violet gymnast!

So do you have a favorite?

The mutant soldier?

The lawn-infested jelly ingredient?

The perfumed gymnast?

Why not leave a comment and vote for your favorite? We’ll see which one comes out as the Seeded Earth’s Favorite Violet!

*** In celebration of Seeded Earth surpassing 30,000+ visits, I’ll anonymously choose one ‘voter participant’ and send you an 8″ X 10″ MATTE PHOTOGRAPH, your choice from my blog – if you want one, that is – AND A SOMETHING SPECIAL GIFT MADE IN WISCONSIN. I’ll announce the winner on Sunday, May 11. And I’ll post a photo of the Wisconsin prize, too. ***

Addition on May 5. I want to add one more violet to this violet post, though I don’t think this guy will have much a go at the contest. He’s a pleasant sort, so he won’t mind.

Downy Blue Violet

This is the Downy Blue Violet and its petals are broader than they are long, giving it a shape rather like a butterfly. It has a soft whiskery coat and is a lovely medium shade of blue. The Downy grows very low to the ground on barely any stem, so it can be easy to miss.

The whiskery butterfly?

Hiker’s Delights

Jack Sticks Out His Tongue

My first Jack of the year. He was poking out of a mass of wild geranium leaves, the geraniums not in flower yet, and I almost missed him. Jack in the Pulpits are a favorite of mine.

Emerging May Apples

And I found a huge field of May Apples just emerging. They should be in full bloom in less than a week, though what I love most about this plant is its foliage as it unfolds. Like a giant yawn when you have to throw your arms out wide, and stretch, too. A white five-petaled flower will tuck itself under the umbrella to complete the show.

One of my readers, Uphilldowndale from northern England, asked about the fruit. I rather forgot it has that fruit-y word, “apple”, in its moniker. For the record, it does have a soft, yellowy kind of fruit which can be eaten, mostly in marmalades, jams, pies, etc., though I’m not personally recommending it for I’ve never tasted it. Supposedly it is sweet and mildly acidic, though one source called it “peculiar”. Has anyone ever had a bite of a May Apple?

[where: Owen Conservation Park]

In A Crooked Row

On our travels through Iowa last week, we stopped at a mostly hidden cemetery along a highway posted as the “Avenue of the Saints.” (Nothing religious about that name – it is the stretch of highway extending from its most Northern city, St. Paul, MN, to its southern terminus, St. Louis, MO.)

We happened upon Hickory Grove Cemetery, outside of Mount Pleasant, an east-central Iowa town. An old cemetery, it was of some interest because of the variety of memorials we found honoring soldiers and their descendants from many of the United States’ earlier wars. I found it a worthwhile site to visit for awhile because of its historical significance.

In A Crooked Row

Most of the tombstones were slabs or simple carved stones, no fancy angels or hovering figures and few crosses. A few of the sites had flowers and it was a well-tended area, but it felt haunting, standing high on a hill under a stand of old hickories. Most of the tombstones were from the 1800s; only a few were from the 1900s.

A Soldier of the War of 1812

This man fought in the war of 1812, and died on the cusp of another massive war effort, the War between the States.

Division 20 GAR - Mount Pleasant, Iowa

The star marking D Russell’s tomb is marked FORT 20 GAR. He would have been a member of the GAR – the Grand Army of the Republic. This was an organization founded by returning soldiers from America’s Civil War, and was very active in the Midwest’s Northern tier states. FORT 20 refers to the district Russell attended – in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Union

Iowa supported the Northern efforts in the Civil War, and a monument to the state’s soldiers stands in the cemetery.

Daughter of a Revolutionary Soldier

This marker does not honor a soldier, but one of the soldier’s descendants. The woman was a member of the Daughters of the American Republic (DAR) which means she was a lineal female descendant of an American Revolutionary Soldier.

Hickory Grove Cemetery is not unique. It is history. This cemetery is representative of the many small town plots in the countryside of the Midwest – all marking in some way the life paths these people took many scores of years ago.

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