We’ve finally had some sunshine and warmer temperatures and flowers are appearing more regularly now. Sessile leaved bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia) has just come into bloom and this year they seem to be a little paler than usual. They’re usually a buttery yellow color but this example was almost white. In botanical terms the word sessile describes how one part of a plant joins another. In sessile leaved bellwort the leaves are sessile on the stem, meaning they lie flat against the stem with no stalk. The leaves are also elliptic, which means they are wider in the middle and taper at each end. New plants, before the flowers appear, can resemble Solomon’s seal at a glance. Sessile leaved bellwort is in the lily of the valley family and is also called wild oats.
It’s time to say goodbye to trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) for another year. Their stay is brief but they bring much joy after a long winter and are well loved because of it. I recently saw another huge colony of them by the Ashuelot River in Swanzey and that now makes three places I know of. Each plant grows from a single bulb and can take 7-10 years to produce a flower, so if you see a large colony of flowering plants you know it has been there for a while. I’ve read that some large colonies can be as much as 300 years old and it’s amazing to think that the earliest settlers in this region could have admired the same colonies of plants that I admire today.
The small fertile flowers in the center of hobblebush flower heads have opened. The larger, sterile flowers around the outer edge opened earlier. Technically a hobblebush flower head is 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. Hobblebush is one of our most beautiful native viburnums and this appears to be a very good year for them. I’m seeing them everywhere.
I saw a crabapple tree loaded with buds but with only a single blossom and this is it. There are four species of crabapple native to North America; they are Malus fusca, Malus coronaria, Malus angustifolia and Malus ioensis. The crab apple is one of the nine plants invoked in the Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century. The nine herbs charm was used for the treatment of poisoning and infection by a preparation of nine herbs. The other eight were mugwort, betony, lamb’s cress, plantain, mayweed, nettle, thyme and fennel.
Goldthread (Coptis groenlandicum) gets its common name from its thread like, bright yellow roots. This plant usually grows in undisturbed soil that is on the moist side. I like the tiny styles curved like long necked birds and the even smaller white tipped stamens. The white, petal like sepals last only a short time and will fall off, leaving the tiny golden yellow club like petals behind. The ends of the petals are cup shaped and hold nectar, but it must be a very small insect that sips from that cup. Native Americans used goldthread medicinally and told the early settlers of its value in treating canker sores, which led to its being nearly collected into oblivion. At one time more goldthread was sold in Boston than any other native plant, and it was most likely sold under its other common name of canker root. Luckily it has made a good comeback and I see lots of it.
New goldthread leaves are a bright, glossy lime green but darken as they age and by winter will be very dark green. They’ll hold their color under the snow all winter and look similar to wild strawberries until late April or early May when new leaves and flowers will appear. Their leaves come in threes, and another common name is three leaved goldthread.
Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolius) has three leaflets which together make up part of a whorl of three compound leaves. Dwarf ginseng doesn’t like disturbed ground and is usually found in old, undisturbed hardwood forests. I usually find it growing at the base of trees, above the level of the surrounding soil. It is very small and hard to see; the plant in the photo could have fit in a tea cup with room to spare. 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.
Individual dwarf ginseng flowers are about 1/8″ across and have 5 white petals, a short white calyx, and 5 white stamens. The flowers might last three weeks, and if pollinated are followed by tiny yellow fruits. Little seems to be known about which insects might visit the plant.
The bell like shape of a blueberry blossom must be very successful because many other plants, like andromeda, lily of the valley, dogbane and others use it. This photo is of the first highbush blueberry blossoms (Vaccinium corymbosum) I’ve seen this season. It is said that blueberries are one of only three fruits native to North America, but the crabapple is a fruit and it is native to North America as well. The others 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.
Downy yellow violets (Viola pubescens) unlike purple violets are very easy to identify, because you don’t see many yellow ones in these woods. They are much taller than other violets and have leaves on their stems, which means that the leaves are cauline, in botanical terms. Most other violets have only basal leaves. The flowers grow from the axils of the cauline leaves and have many purple veins on the lower petal. This plant likes to grow along the edges of forests in undisturbed soil.
I went to see one of the native azalea bushes that I know of and found a tree had fallen on it, but it still had a lot of buds and should be blossoming today. The example in the photo was in a park and was beautiful, but it’s very hard to outdo a native bush 7 feet high and loaded with blossoms.
I found this spotted dead nettle in a local park. I believe it is Lamium maculatum “Purple Dragon.” Whatever its name it was a beautiful little plant that makes a great choice for shady areas. It is also an excellent source of pollen for bees. Dead nettles are native to Europe and Asia, but they don’t seem to be at all invasive here. The name dead nettle comes from their not being able sting like a true nettle, which they aren’t even related to. I’m guessing the nettle part of the name refers to the leaves, which would look a bit like nettle leaves if it weren’t for the variegation.
The wild plum (Prunus americana) grows in just a small corner of south western New Hampshire, so you could say they are rare here. I’m fortunate to have found three or four trees growing under some power lines, but a few years ago when the powerlines were cleared I didn’t think I’d be seeing them for long. The power company clears the land regularly and cuts every plant, shrub and tree down to ground level. Except these plum trees; they were left alone and unharmed, even though everything around them was cut. I wonder how the power company knows that they are rare enough to leave standing.
The wonder of the beautiful is its ability to surprise us. With swift sheer grace, it is like a divine breath that blows the heart open. ~ John O’Donohue
Thanks for stopping in.
Lovely flower photos and so much information too. I’d love to see that ge sing for real.
Thanks. The ginseng is rare here but I wouldn’t be surprised if it grew in Canada.
Sorry to see the toad lilies go but you have me searching for gold tread and ginseng in its place! I am impatiently awaiting my favorite flower of spring – the lilacs. Seems they are about to pop and the bushes are full everywhere!!
Thank you Martha. Both gold thread and dwarf ginseng seem to like to be near water and both are very small, but they’re blooming right now.
Lilacs have just started blooming here and in Hancock, so you should see them any day. They’re having a great year!
Wonderful collections!!!!!
Thanks very much Rexlin!
I noticed in your reply to quinn that you experience difficulty leaving comments on Blogspot blogs. I have the same problem while using Firefox as my browser but better luck while using Safari.
That’s interesting. I don’t use either of those. Maybe I’ll have to give Safari a try because I do like several BlogSpot blogs. Thanks!
I certainly enjoy your flower photos, especially of the ones that aren’t native in this region.
Thanks Montucky! I like seeing flowers from other areas too, but I sometimes end up wishing we had them here or that I could go see them in person.
I have never come across the dwarf ginseng (or may have and not realized what it was). Your close up photo is exquisite.
Thank you. I find them under maples before the trees leaf out. They seem to like to grow on the higher hummock made by the roots and they like old ground that hasn’t been disturbed. They are also very small and hard to see. I’d say about the size of a wood anemone but they don’t grow in drifts like that plant.
Love the detail on the Ginseng flower. One of those flowers you really need to get up close to appreciate. Does U. grandiflora grow wild in NH along with U. sesilifolia?
It does grow here but I’ve never seen one. They like limestone soils and we don’t have a lot of that in this part of the state.
The dwarf ginseng is really pretty. And I really like the dead nettle. Kudos tot he power company for leaving the wild plum!
Thanks Laura. I’d sure like to know who told the power company about those trees. They’re fairly rare and you don’t see them very often. Maybe they have a botanist who looks before they do any cutting, but I doubt it.
I’m sorry, I suppose it’s because my mind is racing with plans for my vacation that I can’t think of much to say about this post. It isn’t that I didn’t enjoy it, I did, especially the goldthread, which I don’t think that I’ve ever seen before.
I wouldn’t worry about it Jerry. Just keep your mind on the tasks at hand and have a great vacation!
It’s always a joy to see what you’ve found in your travels! I see dwarf ginseng in my woods — tho I saw only one today. I expect there are more. Also saw gold thread (a lot of it) and a few painted trillium (but not as many as usual), I have wild oats and indian cucumber root, but haven’t seen them blooming yet. I must go look for hobblebush. It’s one of my favs.
Thank you Pat!
I hope you have plenty of dwarf ginseng.I don’t see a lot of it but I do see a lot of gold thread too. I haven’t seen a painted trillium yet but I hope to soon. They’re much scarcer here than the purples.
I haven’t even seen an Indian cucumber root plant yet, but I’ve seen plenty of hobblebush and wild oats in bloom so now’s the time to get out there! I hope you see plenty of them.
I don’t have the red trillium, so rarely see them. The painted is my favorite, so I was thrilled to find them growing here. I saw foliage for the wild oats and Indian cucumber root today, so will keep an eye on them. I’ve never seen the latter in bloom.
The cucumber root flowers are worth watching for. They’re very unusual!
I visited a friend’s garden today and admired her variegated Lamium maculatum so was pleased to see your photo in this post. Purple Dead-nettle grows everywhere here and is considered by most to be a weed. Many people wouldn’t consider growing even the variegated form in their gardens but I think it is lovely and, as you mention, the bees and insects love it. In a former garden we had a really pretty pink variegated Lamium and I wish I had taken some of it away with me when we moved, but I forgot.
Thank you Clare. It’s interesting that the plant is so weedy there and isn’t here. It’s usually just the other way around. The only place I ever see it is in gardens and parks.
What surprised me most when I was reading about it is how many different cultivars there are. I think you could find another pink one with no trouble at all.
I would have thought that I could but the last time I looked (a while ago I must admit) I couldn’t find one. I’ll have another look!
Maybe they’re harder to find there if they’re weedy. There probably isn’t a high demand.
I think you are probably right!
Another great post filled with very interesting facts and beautiful photos. I like the bellwort and trout lily. The colour of crab apple is very pretty.
Thanks very much, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I like that color of the crab apple too.
The joys of Spring! I don’t think I’ve ever seen bellwort. One of our two Lamium (dead nettle) is the same colour and is blooming now.
I think you probably have bellwort. I usually see it near rivers and streams, but it doesn’t last long before it’s gone to seed.
I like that color purple on the dead nettles.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
Thank you Allen. Another lovely article with pretty flowers. Happy Weekend. Namaste
You’re welcome, and thank you. I hope your weekend is a happy one too!
I just want to say hello, as it’s clear from our local plants that we are regional neighbors 🙂 I’m in central MA, and some of the plants here are blooming a bit earlier or later than yours, but you’re posting beautiful pictures and descriptions of some familiar friends. Glad I happened upon your blog!
p.s. I don’t write about plants as well as you do, but they do make guest appearances on my blog…the name suggests as much: comptonia.blogspot.com
I love your Beech leaf photos!
I often have a real hard time leaving comments on BlogSpot blogs and I don’t know why.
Thank you, I’m glad you found the blog too.
I used to spend time in the Warwick / Athol / Orange area of Massachusetts. It isn’t that far from Keene so I’m sure you probably have all of these flowers in your woods as well.
Wonderful walking with you again Allen. I am enjoying this spring more than ever, as I make a similar commitment to be amongst the abundant beauty as much as possible.
The dwarf ginseng is lovely – I’ve yet to discover that tiny tribe. And oddly enough, I haven’t come across goldthread yet this year, although it’s common enough; I just haven’t been in the right neighborhood! That may change tomorrow, as I plan to go up the back side of Wantastiquet on a trek.
The wild plum reminded me of the sand cherries I have found here in southeastern Vermont (as I believe I have shared previously), growing close to the ground on gravel bars on the West River; I haven’t been up there lately – thank you for the reminder! Which prompts the question – you stated that there were only 3 native fruits in North America and listed them – perhaps this is a characterization based on technical nomenclature? Where do the cherries, plum, cane fruits, strawberries, shadbush, etc. come in to this accounting?
Thank you Rich. I hope you find the dwarf ginseng. It’s small like a wood anemone and grows on the humped up soil at the bases of trees. I usually find them under maples. They should bloom for another week or so.
I remember you talking about the sand cherries. I’d like to see them someday.
Your question is a good one and I asked myself the same thing last night as I was writing about the crabapple. I went back to the source of the information and found the it says “there are 3 major fruits native to North America. Apparently “major” means with a worldwide distribution, though I still question the validity of the information. What about tomatoes and all those you mention? I’m going to stop using that sentence here now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, and thanks for the prodding in the right direction.
A beautiful crab apple photo! I’ve been going on wildflower walks Wednesday mornings with a group from Beaver Brook Association and have seen everything in your post. This Wednesday when we were admiring hobblebush flowers, I decided to smell one of the clusters, and was surprised that it didn’t smell very good. Oh well!
“It is very important to go out alone, to sit under a tree—not with a book, not with a companion, but by yourself—and observe the falling of a leaf, hear the lapping of the water, the fishermen’s song, watch the flight of a bird, and of your own thoughts as they chase each other across the space of your mind. If you are able to be alone and watch these things, then you will discover extraordinary riches which no government can tax, no human agency can corrupt, and which can never be destroyed.”
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~
Thank you Paula. There’s one thing for sure-we have too many Beaver Brooks in this state. Someday I’m going to have to visit yours.
I know what you mean about the fragrance of hobblebush but many viburnums, like the mayflower viburnum, smell heavenly. At least hobblebush doesn’t smell as bad as some pear blossoms do! Beauty can sometimes be deceiving.
That’s a great quote and is very true. I’ve put it in my nature quotes folder, and I’ll have to look for more from Mister Krishnamurti, because he knows what he is talking about. I plan to follow his advice today and I hope you’ll have a chance to do the same.
Very nice shot of the bellwort. The hobblebush flower has to be one of the most fascinating and beautiful I’ve had the pleasure of discovering in central Ohio.
Thank you. I wasn’t sure if I’d see any bellworts this year but they finally came up and bloomed.
Hobblebush is one of my favorites and I’m glad you have it there. It sure does brighten up the woods!
Wonderful detail in your photographs, I particularly enjoyed the goldthread and the azalea.
Thank you Susan!