#nativeplantsofct

Asarum canadense or Canadian Wild Ginger is another great ground-cover for dry shade and is usually found near bloodroot in deciduous forests. These ones were growing a few feet way from the bloodroot on the far side of the reservoir at Giuffrida Park. The soft pubescent (covered with tiny hair) leaves emerge in early spring before the trees leaf out to shade them. The purple red flower emerges at the base of the plant and is often buried under leaves and hard to notice. This unusual flower has evolved to attract carnivorous flies that emerge from the ground in early spring and are conveniently located for the flies first meal. It hasn’t been proven this fly actually pollinates the flower but many assume it does. Enough about flies, this plant will spread once established and can be be easily divided and shared with friends. I don’t have an image of the ginger planted at my parents from a friend, but the last image from May 10, 2014 shows the leaves a few weeks matured at Clarke’s Reservation in Syracuse, NY. (Yes, I have been taking pictures of plants and tagging them with botanical names on my laptop for that long). The leaves of wild ginger will grow even larger and darker by summer and will die back and disappear if it’s a particularly hot and dry year. They always re-emerge the following spring. If you have a garden please consider this a great addition if you can find a friend or garden center to get it from. Please do not take it from the woods. If not, see if you can spot it on your next hike and look for bloodroot nearby! Beware it’s heart shaped leaves can sometimes be confused for the invasive garlic mustard but these will not have a scalloped edge. More info on Canadian Wild Ginger @u.s.forestservice website https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/asarum_canadense.shtml #asarumcanadense #wildginger #canadianwildginger #nativeplantsofnorthamerica #nativeplantsofct #woodlandflowers #forestflowers #unusualflowers #forestfloor #plantnative #dryshadeplants (at Giuffrida Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_UwG_YJgzo/?igshid=84g6x0e48tq3

Happy Earth Day! Today’s woodland flower is my favorite addition to that dry shady spot in your yard where nothing will grow. Bloodroot or Sanguinaria canadensis can be found in very rocky soil in some of the toughest spots but is one of the first plants to flower. The name comes from the red that bleeds from the root or stem when cut. This plant has many medicinal and other uses discovered by native people. The white flowers always come up wrapped in a leaf and only last as long as it takes for the leaves to open up. Timing is key when looking for these because the flowers won’t last long. Check iNaturalist.org or the iNaturalist app to find when and where people have observed bloodroot and use the app to add your own plant observations! The app makes it incredibly easy to identify species and contribute to the iNaturalist data set. I’ve found bloodroot at Penwood State Park, Giuffrida Park, People’s State Forest in CT and Clarke’s Reservation in Syracuse, NY. There is so much more to say about this plant so I will share more in my story today and hopefully do another post in the future when the leaves unfold. #bloodroot #sanguinariacanadensis #nativeplantsofnorthamerica #nativeplantsofct #forestflowers #woodlandflowers #dryshadeplants #nativegroundcovers #earthday2020 #citizenscience (at Giuffrida Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SJHT_JdRF/?igshid=abo3x0fw63o0

Anyone recognize this plant? It’s red trillium or Trillium erectum. This beautiful woodland plant is now blooming in forests near you! Trillium typically grows at the base of a hillside or along a lake or stream in the forest. They are easy to recognize by their 3 large leaves and 3 petal flowers and bloom end of April to early May in the northeast. There are also white varieties that bloom a bit later. The red is my favorite. Thanks to @jordanherpich for the tip of where to find this one. This is one of the more commonly recognized flowers of the forest but there are so many more that I’ve photographed the last few weekends. My goal is to post a new flower each day so they don’t just sit on my computer like they usually do 😋 #redtrillium #Trilliumerectum #nativeplantsofct #woodlandflowers #forestflowers #plantnerd #nativeplantsofnorthamerica (at Giuffrida Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_PuXNlpYtZ/?igshid=x4afbu22ix0x