April Newsletter 2025

Spring Ephemerals

You may still be slipping and sliding on ice and/or mud on the trails and then toasting your toes at the fire, but outside things are already changing. In addition to the spectacular amphibian migration on warm rainy nights that are a “no-no” to drive, the urge to emerge and survive another season is going on underneath the leaf litter.

What are ephemera? The adjective 'ephemeral' is Greek in origin, derived from 'epi-' (meaning 'on' or 'for a short time') and 'hemera' (meaning 'day'). So 'ephemeral' etymologically signifies 'lasting for a short time' or 'existing for a brief period'; these flowers are fleeting and impermanent, which adds to our urgency and joy in finding and appreciating them in our woods.

Why do they come up before everything else? Emerging before the tree canopy leafs out, their growth is triggered by rising soil temperatures, higher and longer sunlight levels, nutrient availability, and pollinators like bees and flies. This evolutionary advantage for the first few weeks of spring leads to species health, nutrition for beetles, flies, and bees, and of course a delight for observers of the kaleidoscope of colors they bring to our woodland landscape. They are found in deciduous forests, meadows, and other habitats with rich, moist soil. They do their job— emerge, set flower, be pollinated, reproduce--and then as the tree canopy fills in and sunlight lessens, they fade away, seemingly vanishing into thin air until the following year.

How do they hide out for the rest of the year? During winter months, these plants lie dormant as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, or tubers beneath the soil.

The race to be first out is between Skunk Cabbage and Coltsfoot. Skunk cabbage has a remarkable ability to produce heat that allows it to emerge and bloom even when the ground is still frozen! Like the way a skunk smells? Then you will love skunk cabbage as much as the bears do. It’s good nutrition for them when they first emerge from their dens. With its striking foliage and hidden flower that lures in flies who love its smell of rotten flesh, it is successful in wetland areas. It is edible, so enjoy. But be careful—it has opposite leaves and is veined differently from its poisonous lookalike, False Hellebore.

You won’t get that mixed up with the other earliest arrival, Coltsfoot. This small plant with its dandelion-like flowerhead of yellow rays shoots up in late March as soon as the snow goes. It’s a surprise to see it growing so jauntily in waste places and disturbed areas beside roads. The root is a traditional remedy for coughs.

The Trillium family rules the hardwood forests. Anyone who spends time in the woods in the spring will notice them. With leaves and petals of three (the “tri”) of them, they add bright colors ranging from red (Red Trillium) to white to pink and white striped (Painted trillium). The red trillium, also called Stinking Benjamin (poor Benjamin whoever he was) emerges before the others. Get down on the ground to smell them—yuck! The painted and White trillium come out later and grow at higher elevation, so you’ll see them while hiking the local mountains.

Bloodroot is a nonconformist. Unlike others, the leaves come up after the blossom and encase the stem of the flower. It has well-known medicinal qualities. The roots are red—thus the name. Dig a bit to see the red roots.

If you dig and see long slender roots that are bright golden yellow or orange, not red, you’ve found Goldthread, a low-growing evergreen 3-6 inches tall with small white flowers that grow only one to a stem and bloom in May. The golden yellow club-shaped flower petals are shorter than the stamens and have a cup-shaped tip that holds nectar. It has wide evergreen leaves that appear at the end of a stem which is usually shorter than the flower stem. These leaves uncoil every spring like a fern as they replace the old evergreen leaves of the previous year. It is believed to be good for canker sores!

Trout lilies with their narrow pointed mottled leaves (think trout skin) emerge in early April and grow everywhere, and while hundreds of their green leaves may be visible, only mature plants growing in good soils produce the little yellow flowers that are so delicate and welcome.

Wild Ginger hides its flower under the leaves at the base of the stems and is sort of reddish brownish and not very showy. A little persistence will pay off if you search for the ginger rhizomes. And you can enjoy the root-beer scent.

Hepatica or liver leaf or liverwort can have flowers that are pink, purple, blue, or white. The leaves grow close to the ground below the flowers, are leathery, remain through the winter, and resemble the human liver with its three lobes. Because of this, it was often used as a remedy to treat liver ailments.

The most fun wildflower to find is Jack in the Pulpit which likes damp moist places and has a striking appearance you can’t miss. Also called Indian turnip, bog onion, and brown dragon, it grows from a corm into a tall spike called a spadix (the “Jack”) which is almost entirely enclosed by a large spathe (the “pulpit”). Flowers are clustered deep inside. Male flowers become female or bisexual, a rare phenomenon in flowering plants. Insects are attracted by the smell and are trapped by the flower; in the male pulpit they can escape from a hole in the bottom, but in the female version, pollinators can’t get out, and they die. It takes three years for this plant to mature enough to flower. It’s poisonous raw, so don’t try it.

Observe the laundry hanging out in the adorable Dutchman's Breeches which look like pantaloons hung out upside down to dry. Grown from a bulblet whose seeds are spread by ants; these poppy related flowers are worked for their pollen by bumblebees. One of its common names, “Little Blue Staggers,” is derived from its ability to induce drunken staggering if cattle graze on it,

Delicate Foamflowers, the “merry bells” of Bellwort, Spring Beauties, Blue Violets, and Trailing Arbutus with its lovely, perfumed smell are also part of the wonderful world of spring ephemerals that grow in the woods starting soon. Get down on your knees to smell them, take time to look at their delicate flowers and how each plant fills a unique role in the forest ecology, and enjoy these displays of spring.

It goes without saying, be mindful of these sensitive plants and their important role in our ecosystem. Take all the pictures you want, but do not pick them and do not transplant them.

SPRING GATHERING: Save the date! The THC Spring Gathering will be at Grafton Lakes State Park at the Deerfield Pavilion, on Sunday, June 1. Come for all or part of the event. We will have a group hike in the morning, and will meet at the Deerfield Pavilion for a BYO picnic lunch. Afterwards you can paddle in one of the lakes, take another hike, or relax and hang out at the pavilion. More details will be posted on the Outings page as we get closer to the date of the event.

OUTINGS: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We schedule on a monthly and short-term basis, so check the website periodically.

Wednesday, April 2: Perry’s Peak & Hollow Fields, Pittsfield, B
Sunday, April 6: Long Path (LP) Bradt Hollow Road to Gifford Hollow Road B
Wednesday, April 9: Hoosac Range, B-
Tuesday, April 15: Yokun Ridge South (Berkshires) B-
Friday, April 18: Taconic Crest Trail - Pittsfield State Forest B-
Monday, April 21: Moreau Lake State Park: Lake Bonita – Ridge Loop B-
Wednesday, April 23: Taconic Crest Trail - Pittsfield State Forest B-

QUOTE: "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." – Doug Larson

NewsletterMartha WaldmanMarch 31, 2025April 2025