The Sanctuary has looked a little different over the last few weeks than if you visited this past winter. A delightfully slow spring thaw is taking place, and we are seeing signs of it everywhere we turn. Hidden Brook is rushing, birds are returning and calling, frogs are croaking, and the garter snakes are sunning themselves in droves.

Just recently, sharp-lobed Hepatica, one of the first spring-blooming wildflowers, was spotted at Logan Creek by our sharp-eyed Jane Whitney! Its star-shaped flowers appear singly on upright hairy stems in early spring before the trees leaf out. Hepatica plants typically emerge in mid-April through mid-May and attract many pollinators as they bloom over the one month period.

The Ridges Sanctuary is internationally recognized for the incredible diversity of plant life found on our properties. Nearly 500 vascular plants find their home in this rich complex of boreal forest and wetlands.

I have been (not very) patiently waiting to see the first spring blooms of the season and for orchid restoration projects to start up again. And even more so for a particularly special group of wildflowers that play an important role in the northern deciduous forests, including our Logan Creek Preserve, and other places in Door County. That is the fascinating phenomenon of spring ephemerals and their time to shine is coming up.

Spring ephemeral refers to perennial plants that emerge quickly in the spring and die back to their underground parts after a short growth and reproduction phase. The word ephemeral means transitory or quickly fading (Williams, 2018).

Dave Charlton of the Tyler Arboretum takes the words right out of my mouth; the mechanisms that spring ephemerals employ to emerge, photosynthesize, flower, pollinate and reseed in the short spring season are absolutely astounding.

Most of the spring ephemerals are perennial. They have underground organs—bulbs, corymbs, etc.—that store nutrients to be used for producing leaves and flowers in the subsequent year (Steffen, 2018). They take advantage of the light conditions available from the deciduous overstory to quickly produce flowers and fruits and then die back into the ground until the following spring when the blooms play a crucial role for early spring pollinators.

I have recently read the book, 101 Wildflowers of the Ridges Sanctuary: A Field Guide for the Curious, by Frances M. Burton and Aurelia M. Stampp. I hope that I can memorize and identify what I’ll be seeing during this upcoming flowering season.

Some fascinating early spring blooms (late April, May and early June) of The Ridges Sanctuary and Logan Creek are: 

Trailing Arbutus (Mayflower) is often the first flower to bloom each spring. However, the ground-hugging evergreen can be difficult to find because it hides under leaves to protect itself from the elements. Flower: White tinged with pink, in clusters, fragrant.  

Bloodroot blooms early in the spring when night temperatures are cool. Like all plants in the poppy family, the flowers are short-lived, often lasting only a day or two (ephemeral). It is named after the vivid red-orange sap that oozes out when the plant stem or root is cut. Flower: Large, white with gold center, 8-12 petals. 

Marsh Marigolds are one of the few wildflowers that can grow in the middle of a stream, and at times they bloom so profusely the stream has a yellow glow. Habitat: swales, wet meadows, along streams. Grows in the Ridges Sanctuary and at Logan Creek. Flower: Yellow, shiny, petal-like sepals.  

Trailing Arbutus (Mayflower) is often the first flower to bloom each spring. However, the ground-hugging evergreen can be difficult to find because it hides under leaves to protect itself from the elements. Flower: White tinged with pink, in clusters, fragrant.  

Bloodroot blooms early in the spring when night temperatures are cool. Like all plants in the poppy family, the flowers are short-lived, often lasting only a day or two (ephemeral). It is named after the vivid red-orange sap that oozes out when the plant stem or root is cut. Flower: Large, white with gold center, 8-12 petals. 

Marsh Marigolds are one of the few wildflowers that can grow in the middle of a stream, and at times they bloom so profusely the stream has a yellow glow. Habitat: swales, wet meadows, along streams. Grows in the Ridges Sanctuary and at Logan Creek. Flower: Yellow, shiny, petal-like sepals. 

Canada Buffaloberry (Soapberry, Rabbitberry) a cool-climate shrub that grows in brush, open ridges and sandy soil at the Sanctuary. Flower: very small, yellowish. Fruit: Tiny red russet berries.  

Trout Lily (Fawn lily) ephemeral that grows in rich, moist woods at Logan Creek. Trout Lily takes seven years before the plant bears its first blossom. For the first six years, it puts out only one lead while it stores food in its bulb. Flower: Yellow, nodding.

Long-Spurred Violet is one of many species of violets that grow at Logan Creek and is borderline ephemeral, keeping its leaves for a while. Flower: Lavender/blue, 5 petals, lower petal forms ½” curved spur. Violets have five petals, two on top and one on each side with a larger one on the bottom. 

Spring Beauties (Fairy Spuds) carpet the forest floor at Logan Creek and are very delicate, each flower only lasting two or three days. They close at night or during cloudy weather. Flower: Small, pink with darker pink stripes.

Broad-Leaved (retains leaves for a bit) and Cut-Leaved Toothwort (Pepper Root, Wild Horseradish) patches grow along the trails at Logan Creek in the spring, but by mid-summer they have died, and all visible traces have disappeared. Flower: White or pale pink, 4 petals, in loose clusters. The difference between the two can be seen in the stem.  

Squirrel Corn is an ephemeral that grows in rich woods such as Logan creek. Flower: 4-8 hanging, greenish-white heart-shaped flowers.  

Wood Anemone (Wind Flower) blooms early in spring when few insects are present, using wind for pollination. With no need to attract insects, it has no nectar and little scent. Flower: White, 4-9 petal-like sepals. 

Big White Trillium like rich woods and grow in the Ridges Sanctuary, but they bloom most profusely at Logan Creek. It takes at least six years for a Trillium to progress from seed to flower. Flower: Large, white, 3 petals.  

Arctic Primrose is a Ridges ephemeral that likes to grow in shrubby swales, open ridges near the beach. Flower: Pink or lilac, yellow centers. 

Large-flowered Bellwort is a borderline ephemeral. Flower: Hanging yellow flower, 1-2″ long with 6 droopy, narrow petals (tepals) that are somewhat twisted.  

Dwarf Lake Iris grows near the northern shores of the Great Lakes. Although abundant at the Ridges, it is considered a rare plant because it requires just the right mix of light, humidity, soil, moisture, and temperature to survive. Flower: Bluish-purple, 3 petals with notched tips, 3 sepals with yellow crests.   

 Remember, many threatened and fragile flowers grow along Ridges trails and Logan Creek. Please remain on the designated trails and boardwalk at all times, even for photos. These beautiful flowers will only continue to exist so long as we protect them.   

To see the spring blooms, join Naturalists Jane Whitney and Julie Knox on a hike at Logan Creek. Spring wildflower hikes are scheduled for Saturday, May 14, and Friday, May 20, from 1:00-3:00pm.  $13 Public, $10 Member, $5 Under 18.    

Sources: 

http://www.authenticwisconsin.com/ephemerals.html 

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/blog/plant_science_conservation/secrets_spring_ephemerals_woods

https://www.schlitzaudubon.org/2019/05/10/spring-ephemerals

Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers

Spring Ephemerals Are On the Clock