The first wave of spring ephemerals has commenced, with colorful native wildflower blooms peering through the forest floor in Illinois.
Gardeners plant crocuses, daffodils, tulips and other non-native plants to create color in their yards in spring.
But the true spring ephemerals are native plants that arise in woodlands before leaves open, allowing sunlight to coax them into bloom.
These ephemerals emerge, bloom, produce seeds and retreat back to the soil within several weeks in spring. Many of them, especially the earlier bloomers, grow low to the ground. By late May or early June, when the trees’ leaves are open, most seem to have disappeared. They’ll remain dormant underground, storing nutrients for next spring when they can arise again to claim their short place in the woods.
Recent studies have shown that spring ephemeral populations are declining. These plants are crucial to pollinators such as native bumblebees that rely on early food sources in spring.
Some of my favorite places to seek spring ephemerals include Wright Woods near Vernon Hills, Ryerson Woods near Deerfield and Reed Turner Woodlands in Long Grove. Beginning in late March, I visit these preserves every week to see what’s blooming.
Among the first to bloom is the sharp-lobed hepatica. Each plant has three-lobed leaves at the base and grows to 4 to 6 inches tall, with purple, pink, blue, or white star-shaped flowers. This wildflower prefers high-quality, mature woods where non-native buckthorns are few or absent. You may have to look for them peering through last year’s dead leaves on the forest floor. A great spot to look for this fairly rare ephemeral is at Wright Woods.
Bloodroot is another early bloomer. Large grayish-green, deeply lobed leaves burst through the ground beginning in late March or early April. The blooms are 1-inch-wide white flowers with six or more petals standing about 6 to 12 inches tall. Inside the petals are bright yellow stamens.
The flowers, which open in the sun and close at night, drop within a day or two, while leaves remain into mid-summer or later. The name, bloodroot, refers to the red color of the plant’s sap. Bloodroot is fairly easy to grow in gardens, and in late March and early April, I go outdoors daily to see if they are emerging in my garden.
Another early bloomer, spring beauty, grows about 6 inches tall and has white flowers with pink stripes. You can find them growing in large groups, in woods, as well as in parks and even yards. My sister will soon have a huge colony of spring beauties covering part of her lawn near her native gardens. These begin to bloom a little later than the bloodroot, but they’ll last for a month or more delighting the eyes as new spring ephemerals begin to flower. When there’s cloud cover, though, the tiny flowers often close their petals.
In April, the mottled green and brown leaves of the trout lily, start peering through the forest floor. Trout lilies often grow in large colonies. It takes about seven years for trout lilies to bloom, and it’s fun to walk through Ryerson Woods in April searching for a large blooming colony of trout lilies. The nodding flowers are typically white, though you may find some yellow ones as well. This plant also grows in wooded areas of gardens.
Virginia bluebell leaves are peering through the ground in my yard, too. By mid to late April, purplish-pink buds open to five-petaled, bell-shaped blue flowers. If you get close, you can inhale this flower’s sweet fragrance. A favorite place to see bluebells is at Reed Turner Woodlands, just as you enter the trail system. In the same spot, you’ll see redbud trees with their pinkish-purple flowers rising above the bluebells. It’s a natural spring event I try not to miss.
In April, the telltale 14-inch-tall umbrella-like leaves of May apple start appearing. The white flower, which opens later in May, is hidden beneath the leaves. After the flowers bloom, the plants produce what look like tiny apples, for which the plant was named. You can find May apples in most woodlands. They’re easy to find and to see, and delight youngsters when you point out the umbrellas on the forest floor.
Readers have asked me what kinds of spring ephemerals can be found in northern Illinois and where and when to find them. I hope I’ve answered some of their questions. Look for my next column, which reveals later-blooming ephemerals. In the meantime, get out in the woods and start exploring. Just like the changing colors of autumn leaves, spring wildflowers only last for a short while.
To see some photos of Illinois spring ephemerals, visit https://iiseagrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Native-Spring-Ephemerals.pdf, or visit https://www.nachusagrasslands.org/nachusa-blog/spring-blooms.
It’s about 100 miles to Nachusa from the Chicago area, but worth the visit there as well as nearby Franklin Creek State Natural Area, 2.4 miles away, to search for spring ephemerals.
Sheryl DeVore has worked as a full-time and freelance reporter, editor and photographer for the Chicago Tribune and its subsidiaries. She’s the author of several books on nature and the environment and co-author of a coming book on “Birds of the Midwest,” to be published by Timber Press. Send story ideas and thoughts to sheryldevorewriter@gmail.com.
