Wandering in Wildflower Wonder

Carolina spring beauty bloodroot-in-training Dutchman's breeches

Hi, I’m Sue and I’m a wildflowerholic. It’s been about 16 years since these uncontrollable urges to be in the woods and with the flowers began. I know I’m in trouble the moment I feel a hint of spring in the air. I will take any opportunity to find a nearby trail and start looking for Nature’s signs – bloodroot, spring beauty, sharp-lobed hepatica. These are always among the first to blossom. 

When a cold snap or early spring snow hits, like it has recently, I worry like a mom, afraid these tiny, frail-seeming beauties won’t survive. It happens virtually every year. And every year I have to laugh at myself when the flowers emerge, as they always do, from the previous year’s leaf litter. 

In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed hepatica and spring beauty on the waterfall trail at Bald Mountain Creek Preserve. I’ve seen bloodroot, trout lilies, wood anemone, Dutchman’s breeches, squirrel corn, and even some Wake Robin trillium and Indian paint brush scattered here and there across Burnsville.  

When I’m among the blossoming flowers, I somehow feel lighter, as if the sunlight that nourishes them, and makes them glow, makes me glow, too. They are my daily source of wonder as well as my salve when days are challenging. 

trout lily

Friends who know me know I can spend an excessive (at least to them) amount of time admiring a single flower, wondering how best to capture it photographically. If it’s aerobic hiking you’re after, you don’t want to hike with me. I am an obsessive observer who gets a walk in-between the mesmerization.  

As I write this and begin sharing photos of my wildflower adventures, I know there will be readers who want to shush me and ask me not to share the images for fear that people will pick them. I tend to believe the more we learn, the better we can do. In writing this post, I hope that our awesome visitors will realize the beauty belongs not only to us, but to future generations, and it’s up to us to protect it for them. 

Here are a few of the fascinating tidbits I’ve learned about some of the wildflowers. My hope in sharing them is to inspire you to take only photos, not flowers. 

Among the flowers that are just starting to bloom are trillium – large-flowered, Catesby’s, Wake Robin and more. Between reading and conversation with naturalists, I’ve learned that it can take up to two years for a trillium seed to emerge and up to seven years for the plant to flower for the first time. Yowza. You can see how picking them will put a dent in their population. 

phlox Wake Robin trillium hepatica

If you ever look at some of the books that discuss flowers found on specific trails, you’ll notice that pink and yellow ladyslippers, which will bloom later in April, are never mentioned. That’s because, too often, people want to pick them to take home and replant them in their own gardens. 

Here’s the challenge. The chances of their surviving are slim. What renders ladyslippers unique, beyond the unusual slipper-like appearance, is the relationship they have with a certain fungi that’s present in the soil. This fungi allows the ladyslipper seeds to germinate. At the same time, the ladyslipper roots nourish the fungi. It’s an awesome symbiotic relationship. Without that fungi, there’s little hope the flower will survive. 

Additionally, if you think the trillium takes a long time to flower, the ladyslipper can take even longer. It sometimes takes up to 15 years for a ladyslipper to bloom. Once it flowers, it may only bloom four or five times during its lifetime. 

While the temptation may be great, hopefully these examples help you see the potential for altering our lush wildflower landscape. That’s not to say, however, there aren’t other ways to add a touch of wildflower wonder to your property. One awesome solution exists right here in Burnsville - Carolina Native Nursery. They specialize in growing native plants from seeds, plants that are helpful for pollinators and birds. I personally love their mission: to save the earth one plant at a time.  

My hope for readers who will meander along our Burnsville and beyond trails is that you take time to be present to the beauty –   watch the play of bees and butterflies, listen to the breeze through the trees, feel the sun rays filtering through the treetops, pay attention to how you feel when you sit down with the flowers and take in their artful details. Revel in the magic. Trust me; you will be glad you did. 

TDA Director Sue Wasserman photographing the squirrel corn.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to pack water, snacks, and bug repellant. And check for ticks afterwards.  

Additional wildflowers currently blooming in Burnsville:

blue cohosh-in-training

mayapple-in-training

squirrel corn

halberd-leaved violet

Canada violet

star chickweed

Indian paintbrush