By Yetta Jager, Green Sanctuary Committee
It is the perfect season for hiking; cool enough to avoid overheating, no leaves to block the spectacular views on yesterday’s hike in the Smoky Mountains. Ephemeral wildflowers are taking their turn to gather sunlight on the forest floor before the canopy closes overhead. Toadshade trillium is starting to make an appearance, growing its beautiful, mottled leaves. When it blooms, its putrid red flowers will attract flies and beetle pollinators after which the pollinated flowers will form seeds. Then come the ants, who will carry trillium seeds back to their nests, feast on the oily, outer covering, which, once removed allows them to sprout.
Seeds of another wildflower, bloodroot, is similarly coevolved with ants. Bloodroot flowers produce pollen, but no nectar, frustrating insects that visit it and the plant is not eaten by wildlife. Although the red sap can be used to make dye, to remove tumors or warts, and (in the past) as an antimicrobial agent, it is very toxic and scars skin on contact. The spring beauties, also known as fairy spuds, are also emerging across the forest floor.
A wide variety of pollinators, including small, native bees and Syrphid flies, follow the pink stripes guiding them into the nectary. Their seeds develop into small corms that become dormant later in the year, storing energy for the following spring. These corms, also called ‘underground candy,’ taste like chestnuts and are eaten by rodents, deer, turkey, and humans (native Americans and settlers) and are used for medicines by many indigenous peoples. Yellow violets are blooming too. The lower petals of the yellow violets provide a landing platform for the butterflies and wasps that pollinate them, with black stripes guiding insects to the nectary.
Spring is a time for awakening, and we invite you to spend a few hours together planting and mulching during an upcoming garden day, details to follow.
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