The “Buzz” about Ohio’s Spring Wildflowers
Our woods are waking up!
“April showers bring May flowers.”
Everybody knows that old saying… but wait… do we really have to wait until May for flowers?
Here in Ohio, the answer is a resounding “NO!”
I remember when I first starting paying close attention to nature and the timing of different events, I was pretty surprised by the fact that our trees are not all leafed out until the end of May! That’s a lot of Spring-time with no shade from above. Well, in nature, nothing is wasted. So what happens to all the sunlight that reaches the forest floor while the trees are still sleeping? It’s happily used by Ohio’s diverse cast of Spring Ephemerals…. say what now?
“Spring Ephemeral” is the term used to describe our many woodland wildflowers. These beauties spend most of the year underground as roots… except for that short window of time when the ground is warming up but the leaves aren’t out yet. They gobble up as much sun as they can and put on an impressive display of colors and shapes!
Look closer
Some stars of our Spring Ephemeral show:
So what do these flowers actually look like? A picture’s worth a thousand words… so here’s a bunch of pictures (the flower’s name is below each picture):
This flower is literally called a Spring Beauty
This lamp-like flower is all over my woods, it’s called Purple Cress (it really is purple if you look close in-person)
This gorgeous flower is called Bloodroot… weird name, but it’s because the roots are red on the inside. Fun fact: Its seeds have a jelly on them that attracts ants! They take the seed to their nest, eat the jelly and then leave the seed to grow! Yay ant gardeners!
Those purple guys? Wild Geranium! The white fuzzy ones? Foamflower! Both spread quickly and help Bumblebee Queens!
The Great White Trillium, Ohio’s State Flower! Never seen this one in person… but the picture is pretty!
The flower? Wild Columbine. The non-flower? A Ruby-throated Hummingbird!
They’re beautiful, but they’re also invitations!
As you can see in that last picture, these flowers are super pretty AND they’re also super important for wildlife! Wild Columbine is one of the first nectar sources available for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Many of our Spring Ephemerals are critically important for our bumblebees!
Looking at the top left, we’re just now at the time when Queens are waking up. They’re looking for nectar and pollen to build up energy and supplies to start their new family… good thing the Spring Ephemerals are there!
Speaking of Bumblebees…
I’ve shared in earlier posts that I have ADHD. Part of this is something called hyperfocus. Basically, I get really interested in something and learn all the things about it. My latest hyperfocus: Bumblebees! These cute, fuzzy-butted brothers and sisters are basically small, flying pandas. They’re vegetarians, they don’t want to sting you, and they don’t make much honey. They are THE reason you get to enjoy delicious foods like Blueberries and Tomatoes due to their unique ability to “buzz pollinate”. I’ve learned that (and a whole bunch more) from Ohio State’s FREE Bumblebee online classes offered by Dr. Jamie Strange, one of the world’s leading Bumblebee experts. You can get in on all the buzz yourself here.
Pictured here: The soon-to-be-endangered American Bumblebee. Keep reading below to find out how you can help her!
So, back to Spring Ephemerals… here’s where to find them!
Here’s some of my favorite places to catch the show here in Central Ohio:
In Dublin: Glacier Ridge Metropark woods trails
In Lewis Center: Shale Hollow Preserve or Highbanks Metropark
In Westerville: Sharon Woods Metropark
In Upper Arlington: Smith Nature Park
In Grandview Heights: Wyman Woods
Essentially, any of our Metroparks with woods are a great place to look!
Enjoy a sea of Yellow Trout Lillies at Shale Hollow Preserve in Lewis Center
BUT you can also bring this party to your place!
Here’s the part where I get to how you can help that adorable Bumblebee you saw above. Did you know this April is both Ohio Native Plant Month AND NATIONAL Native Plant Month?! Basically, everyone is recognizing the importance of planting the plants that are supposed to be here. Planting non-native invasives such as Callery Pear trees (which will be outlawed next year), Burning Bush, or English Ivy actively harms our state and our animal brothers and sisters… BUT planting natives like the beautiful Spring Ephemerals above significantly HELP your neighborhood bees, cardinals, butterflies, hummingbirds and everyone else! Besides helping them survive, planting native plants in your yard also creates magic for you to enjoy right out your door… plant them and they will come! How fun would it be for your yard to have pretty flowers that bring hummingbirds and chickadees close for your kiddos to meet? Maybe even name them? We do that at my house!
Oh, and also, Earth Day is this month! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than by planting plants that will improve your local ecosystem for years to come!
You can find all the native plants for your yard’s party at BFA & LDBB’s native plant nursery partners:
OR you can take advantage of our amazing partnership with Peter Harrington of Native Landscaping & Consulting LLC… he’s come up with an amazing design for your backyard, a donut-shaped “magic spot” of flowers your family can sit in and enjoy butterflies and birds all around you! He comes and installs 50+ square feet of plants, makes it beautiful, and cleans up in about 2 hours for $300. Multiple families have already had him out… he does great work! See this blog post for booking info!
Behold (or, should I say “Bee-hold”?)
So that’s “the buzz”! Be sure to checkout my monthly newsletter (available through your parent portal) and my instagram (@jaredthenatureguy) for more!