SPRING EPHEMERALS

Written by Kristine Manganelli (Somerset County 4-H Coordinator)

I have been taking advantage of being stuck at home by spending as much time as possible outside in my yard. You don’t have to go far to experience something magical in nature. In fact, you don’t need a particularly big yard, and you don’t have to be deep in the wilderness. If you stop to smell the roses, you may be surprised by the rich diversity of life you will find.

Research shows that spending time in nature, even a short time, reduces stress levels. Sunshine gives us a dose of Vitamin D, lifting our mood and boosting our immune system. During these and other challenging times in life, giving ourselves a moment in nature can allow us to appreciate the beauty in our world.

If the home schooling is getting stale, nature is your outdoor classroom! It provides an abundance of educational opportunities, so take your children outside for some hands on learning. This blog series will feature a different piece of my own backyard biodiversity each week. I encourage you to see if your yard also hosts this type of wildlife. If not, what can you find? Everyone’s backyard is unique!

With the warmer weather and colorful blooms, Spring is a particularly pleasant time to be outdoors. The warmth and sunshine encourages “flora” -- plant life -- to unfurl and blossom. I love to observe the process when a plant first bursts from the ground, forms into a bud, and slowly opens its petals.

Today I will be highlighting wildflowers known as “Spring Ephemerals,” which are a first sign of Spring! They are a class of woodland plants that arrive after the snow melts and fade away when the tree leaves open, blocking sunlight from reaching the ground. The word ephemeral means “lasting for a very short time,” so you will only find these plants from March-May.

As Spring Ephemerals are among the first flowers to bloom, many pollinators rely on their nectar to survive when other food sources are scarce. Pollinators are birds, bats, or insects that help carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of a flower (stigma). This movement of pollen must occur for plants to be fertilized and produce new, young plants.

Spring Ephemerals are essential to the pollinators that first stir after a long winter such as bumblebees who may choose their nesting site based on proximity to these flowers. In fact, bumblebees are the only pollinator for a Spring Ephemeral called Dutchman’s Breeches. There is even a type of bee called the Trout Lily Mining Bee, that feeds almost solely on Trout Lilies, and have higher populations in areas near these flowers. These examples highlight the important ecological relationship between Spring Ephemerals and pollinators.

Other common New Jersey Spring Ephemerals include Spring Beauties, Trillium, Rue Anemone, Red Columbine, and Jack in the Pulpit. These wildflowers are all native to New Jersey. A native plant is one that grows naturally in an area, meaning no human planted it. They are also “perennial” meaning they come back every year.

What Spring Ephemerals can you find in your yard? Use a free app on your phone like PlantNet, or a guide such as the Native Plant Gallery on the Native Plant Society of New Jersey’s website, to help identify your discoveries. Look around the base of trees, on the edge of woodlands, and if you have a wooded area, explore along the ground.

I could only find one—Spring Beauties (Claytonia Virginica). They are along the edges of my property and around the bases of trees in my yard. Many Spring Ephemeral flowers close at night and on cloudy days. The small size and grass-like leaves, make Spring Beauties hard to find if you don’t look closely. Check for another common Spring Ephemeral, Rue Anemone (pictured above) which can be found in similar areas of the yard.

Spring Beauties have five petals that can be white or pink. The petals have pink stripes like runways or bulls-eyes that guide bees and other pollinators to the center of the flower where nectar is located. Spring Beauties are resilient and can grow in poor conditions. Their roots look like tiny potatoes, or “Fairy Spuds.”

As I watch the Spring Beauties sway in the breeze, a bee buzzes over and lands on one. I think there is no way this tiny, fragile flower can support it, but I underestimated its strength. I’m reminded that even the smallest lifeform plays an essential role in the healthy biodiversity of my yard. Spring Beauties provide nectar for the bee to share with the hive. As the bee flies from flower to flower it transfers pollen, ensuring new Spring Beauties will emerge, playing its part in the cycle. Many people choose to mow over these flowers or consider them undesirable, but each piece is important to the whole.

Sources:

Native Plant Society of New Jersey: npsnj.org
University of Texas Austin Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center: wildflower.org
New York Botanical Garden: nybg.org