Flowers are everywhere you look now, which makes my job a lot easier. Until I have to choose which ones to post on this blog, that is. Right now I have more photos than I do space to put them.
Those are cherry blossoms high in the trees in that first photo and this is a closer look at them. New Hampshire has four native cherry trees: black cherry (Prunus serotina), choke cherry (Prunus virginiana), pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica), and wild American plum (Prunus americana). I’ve given up trying to tell them apart and just enjoy their flowers all along the roadsides. They bloom at the same times as apples and hawthorns, so it can be quite a show.
Three miles down an old rail trail that runs alongside the Ashuelot River hobblebushes (Viburnum lantanoides) blossom on the sun washed river banks. Every time that I see a scene like this I can imagine early settlers traveling down this river in a canoe and gasping at sights like this. Who wouldn’t have wanted to live in the Eden that they found here?
Hobblebush is one of our most beautiful native viburnums. Its flower heads are about as big as your hand and are made up of small fertile flowers in the center and larger, sterile flowers around the outer edge of what is technically a corymb, which is just a fancy word for a flat topped, usually disc shaped flower head. It comes from the Latin corymbus, which means a cluster of fruit or flowers. All flowers in the cluster have 5 petals. The large sterile flowers do the work of attracting insects and that’s why so many viburnums have this kind of arrangement. It seems to work well, because I see plenty of fruit on them later in the summer.
Another walk down a different rail trail led me to the only place I know of where our native eastern red columbines (Aquilegia canadensis) grow on mossy ledges. Its love of rocky places gives it the common name rock-lily. The flowers have yellow petals with red spurs and sepals and are pollinated by hummingbirds. It’s one of our most delicate and beautiful wildflowers. An interesting fact about this columbine is how it contains a cyanogenic glycoside which releases hydrogen cyanide when the plant is damaged, meaning it is quite toxic. Native Americans used the plant medicinally in several ways, including as an anti-itch balm for the poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) rash.
I wanted to show you how small dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius) really is so I put a quarter in front of a few. For those not familiar with the size of quarter, it’s about an inch in diameter. Each flower head is no bigger than a nickel (0.835 in). This photo shows where the trifolius part of the scientific name comes from; three leaflets each make up the whorl of three compound leaves. Dwarf ginseng doesn’t like disturbed ground and is usually found in old, untouched hardwood forests. It is on the rare side here and I only know of two places to find it. This is not the ginseng used in herbal medicine and it should never be picked.
Heartleaf foamflowers (Tiarella cordifolia) like damp soil so I always find them near streams and other wet places, usually growing in large colonies. This plant is a good example of how wildflowers become garden flowers. People like this plant enough to create a demand for it so nurserymen oblige by collecting its seed and growing it for sale, and plant breeders have created many hybrid varieties. It’s a cheery little plant that always seems as happy as I am to see in spring.
Each foamflower stalk is made up of multiple tiny white flowers. They’re pretty little things by themselves but when you see large drifts of plants in the woods you don’t forget it right away.
Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is an early bloomer and should have been in my last flower post but I forgot to put it in. These bloomed right around May first this year, but I’ve seen them earlier. This year most of the brownish flowers were lying right on the ground. Probably because they are at ground level scientists thought for years that these flowers were pollinated by flies or fungus gnats, but several studies have shown that they are self-pollinated.
A close up of a wild ginger flower. This flower has no petals; it is made up of 3 triangular shaped calyx lobes that curl backwards. You might think, because of its meat-like color, that flies would happily visit this flower and they do occasionally, but they have little to nothing to do with the plant’s pollination. It is thought they crawl into the flower simply to get warm. In this photo you can see that the flower was just starting to shed pollen.
Lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium) and highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are blooming well this year and that means we’ll probably see a bountiful crop of berries, provided we don’t have a late frost. Blueberries are one of only three fruits native to North America. The other two are cranberries and concord grapes. Native Americans called blueberries “star berries” and used the plant medicinally, spiritually, and of course as a food. One of their favorites was a pudding made with dried blueberries and cornmeal.
The name “forget me not” (Myosotis) comes from the original German “Vergissmeinnicht” and the language of flowers in 15th century Germany encouraged folks to wear them so that they wouldn’t be forgotten by their loved ones. Mozart wrote a song about the flowers and Franz von Schober wrote a poem about them. It seems that the plant has always been associated with romance or remembrance; Henry IV had forget me nots as his symbol during his exile in 1398, probably so his subjects would remember him. Surely they must have; he was only gone for a year. Only Myosotis scorpioides, native to Europe and Asia, is called the true forget me not. The plant was introduced into North America, most likely by early European settlers, and now grows in 40 of the lower 48 states. In some states it is considered a noxious weed though I can’t for the life of me understand why. I hardly ever see it.
One of the spring flowers we’ll be saying goodbye to soon is the forsythia. I liked the way this one spilled over an old stone wall. It is a view that’s very common in New England but still beautiful.
In a ground ivy blossom (Glechoma hederacea) five petals are fused together to form a tube. The lowest and largest petal, which is actually two petals fused together, serves as a landing area for insects, complete with tiny hairs for them to hang onto. The darker spots are nectar guides for them to follow into the tube. The pistil’s forked style can be seen poking out at the top under one of the three separate petals. It’s in a perfect position to brush the back of a hungry bee. This flower is all about continuation of the species, and judging by the many thousands that I see its method is perfection. It’s another invader, introduced into North America as an ornamental or medicinal plant as early as the 1800s, when it immediately began taking over the continent. But nobody seems to mind.
Wildflowers aren’t the only flowers that are beautiful. I found this bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) in a local park. This plant gets its common name from its heart shaped blossoms, each with a drop of “blood” at their bottoms. The best example of that in this photo is over on the far left.
The poet’s daffodil (Narcissus poeticus) can be found in botanical texts from as early as 371 BC., and is believed to be the flower that the legend of Narcissus is based on. The Roman poet Virgil wrote of a narcissus blossom that sounds just like Narcissus poeticus. The flower is one of the first cultivated daffodils and is hard to mistake for any other, with its red edged yellow corona and pure white petals.. Its flowers are very fragrant, with a scent so powerful it is said that a closed room full of flowers has made people sick. I like it because of its historical baggage; it always makes me think of ancient Rome and Greece, where toga wearing poets admired its beauty. It has naturalized throughout this area and can be found in unmown fields, and it’s still just as beautiful today as it was then, over 2,000 years ago.
It was such a spring day as breathes into a man an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes him stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out his arms to embrace he knows not what. ~ John Galsworthy
Thanks for stopping in.
Very great pictures !!!!
Thanks very much Nancy!
What rich variety!
Yes, it’s a colorful, fragrant time of year!
Your hobble bush is very like our guelder rose, although larger, but then both are viburnums. The foam flowers are lovely, I wish we had them here. As for the narcissus, the flower and the story of Echo and Narcissus is one of my favourites. In fact I have a print of Dali’s painting the metamorphosis of Narcissus on my wall.
I think the viburnum family is one of the largest, with over 200 examples. But all are beautiful in one way or another.
Foam flowers are sold at nurseries these days but I don’t know if they’ve been imported into the U.K. or not. If they have you’ll probably see them growing in the woods near a stream eventually.
It sounds like you should grow narcissus poeticus. I think you can find them at most garden centers. It’s a flower with a great story!
Such beauties! I’ve also never looked that close at the wild ginger in bloom. It’s so interesting.
I agree! I don’t know of any other flower quite like it.
Your page always seems to be in step with what I find in my woods. In an older post I was happy to find IDs for the various sedges I see here too. Always enjoy your posts!
Thank you Pat. I’m glad you’re getting something out of these posts because that’s just what they’re here for, and I’m glad you let me know.
You have so many beautiful flowers there! I love to see your photos and descriptions. The ones that we don’t have here are fascinating, as are the differences in timing of their blooms from here.
Thanks Montucky. We are lucky here when it comes to flowers and I’m always interested in why some of them stopped their march west from New England. Some went coast to coast and others didn’t make it.
Thank you for a taste of a New Hampshire Spring.
You’re welcome!
Beautiful! I’ve had wild ginger in my yard for years ( always called it European Wild Ginger), but have never seen any flowers. (Poked around in the clumps before sending this to be sure there weren’t any lurking beneath the leaves). Maybe there’s a non-flowering version? I bought it at a nursery years ago.
Thank you Judy. There is a European ginger sold in nurseries. It has very shiny leaves though. Our native ginger has dull, kind of matte finish leaves that are very hairy, including the stems. Both have brownish purple blossoms but those on European ginger are smaller. They bloom very early in spring so that might be why you aren’t seeing them. The ginger photos in this post were taken in mid April and I was late getting them in.
I just received my seedlings from the state forestry division and in the native plant package is some American Plum. Too bad you can’t also order some of the native wildflowers. I really love the red columbines!
That’s great Laura. Another reader just told me that they’re considered endangered here in NH. They like a lot of water so they’d probably do well near your pond.
There are more and more wildflowers being sold in nurseries and I think I’ve read that you can buy native columbine now, too.
It’s not hard to find flowers this time of the year, but you’ve found some that few of us ever see! They’re all beautiful, I can’t pick a favorite. It’s obvious that you love spring, I look forward to seeing your posts all year round, but especially this time of year. I’ve been able to find a few of the flowers that you do by reading your blog, and I need to thank you again for that.
You’re welcome Jerry. Knowing that this blog has helped you and others see these hidden gems makes all the work worthwhile. I do love spring but this year the temperature has climbed so fast that it seems like everything is blooming at once, and I’m having trouble keeping up!
I would like to grow some Foam Flower in my garden – the raceme in the photo is much more loosely packed than what you usually see.
Yes, the plant breeders have been working on loading the plants with flowers so any plant that you see in a nursery will have many more than the natives will. If you buy some try to plant them in a damp, shady spot. That’s where they grow naturally.
What a collection of spring bloomers! I didn’t know there was dwarf ginseng.
Thanks! Yes there is dwarf ginseng but it’s rare here. From what I’ve read it doesn’t grow at all in Illinois.
Ginseng hunters keep our populations LOW
Yes, that’s why I don’t give locations of plants on this blog. It seems that there are plant hunters for every type of plant.
The Aquilegia canadensis is wonderful.
I agree. I really like them and wish there were more to be seen. They’re very fussy about where they grow, even though garden hybrids don’t seem to care at all.
They are all lovely, great shots Allen!!! We have a lot of the native viburnums on the mountain here! 🙂
Thanks Michael. I’d love to see that mountain. It must be gorgeous at this time of year!
Lovely post full of beautiful flowers. Another name for the bleeding heart, as you probably know, is ‘lady in the bath’. If you hold the flower upsidedown and carefully squeeze where the petals join the stalk she jumps up in surprise. The wild ginger flower is spectacular.
Thank you Clare. No, I’ve never heard that story about bleeding heart flowers. I’ll have to try it!
Those wild ginger flowers are really unique. I can’t think of another plant that has flowers like them.
The flowers are so exotic it surprised me when you said they are often found on the ground.
Yes, they grow so close to the ground that they end up on it once they open.
Your first photograph was so perfect – great way to start my day, as I think about walking into a New England forest and discovery nature treasures along with way. Beautiful flowers ~
Thank you Mary. As I just replied to another Mary, that’s a common sight here but we still love to see it. I’m glad that you liked it, too.
NHG, Your knowledge of botany and the healing use of plants is as remarkable as your pictures. I love the first one with the flowering trees making a “tunnel” over the path. Lovely. MCS
Thanks very much Mary. The flowering trees arching over the trail like that is a common, everyday sight here but I agree that it’s still lovely to see.
Beautiful and very informative post. Happy to hear it looks like a good blueberry year! Love the quote…it’s how I feel and what I do every morning when I step outside onto my deck which overlooks Pack Monadnock and Temple Mountains.
Thank you Paula. I think it will be a good blueberry year. We’ve had a couple of light frosts but they’re pretty hardy plants and are loaded with blooms.
You must live high in the hills!
Lovely journey again today. Hobblebush is one of my favorites – you’re right, it is a breathtaking sight. The first time I saw it, as a much younger person, I thought it must have been an escaped ornamental – it is so striking! I plan to study up on American plum – I find it fascinating; it was an important food source for the indigenous peoples.
Thank you. I think, if hobblebush had a better branching structure, that it would be used more as an ornamental. It really is a striking plant when it’s in full bloom and I’d plant it here if I could find one.
Plum trees are hard to find. I know of only one place where they grow. I’m not surprised plums were an important food source. They’re delicious!
Quite a few hobblebush around here, and of course very noticeable this time of year. I think I found wild plum (Prunus americana) growing in an almost-creeping, supine form on gravelly islands in the West River last year (flattened from ice and flooding). I will go back this year and check, knowing a bit more this time around. It does appreciate plenty of water, from what I’ve read.
I wouldn’t be surprised by anything found growing on a river island. The variety of seeds that can be washed down a river is amazing. I’ve got to go back and check the fruit on the trees I saw to make sure I didn’t misidentify them. They are near a drainage ditch on a very wet section of rail trail. I know that the trees must be special in some way because they’re also under power lines, and when the power company recently cut everything under the lines they left only those 3 trees.
Hmm, I did read that American Plum is listed as endangered in VT and NH. I’m somewhat surprised that a powerline trimming crew would be that aware or circumspect!
I was really surprised myself. I read that we’re at the northern limit of the plant’s range, but I didn’t know they were endangered. There were houses nearby so maybe one of the residents asked them to not cut the trees. I’m surprised they would comply though-it could mean their jobs, after all.
Gorgeous shots! If I had to choose I think my favorite would be the wild ginger, such and unusual color! The wild columbine is spectacular as well. Thanks for a wonderful tour of Spring, we certainly waited patiently for such beauty.
You’re welcome Martha, and thank you. I agree, everything about that wild ginger is unusual, but especially the flower color. I don’t think we could have a much better spring than we’re having!
Wow, things are really on the move in NH. Love the Hobblebush.
They are. The unusual heat is making things bloom quickly. The hobblebush is one of my favorite native shrubs. A real beauty!
It’s always exciting when the world seems awash in blossoms and blooms of all kinds. I particularly enjoyed seeing the forsythias. Growing up in Massachusetts, I remember how we had large bushes of them in our backyard and your image brings back memories of those younger days.
Thanks Mike. I thought New Englanders would recognize the shot of the forsythia. It seems like all of us have a memory of it looking just like that! I’m glad to hear that it brought back some pleasant memories.
What a feast of beauty, my favourite was the rock-lily. The quote was most moving too. Thank you for a most interesting post.
You’re welcome, and thank you Susan. I love those native columbines too. I wish I’d see more of them, that’s the only place I’ve ever seen them growing.