Wednesday Woodland Path Walk!

Mertensia virginica - Virginia Bluebells.

Virginia Bluebell is a showy, early spring

wildflower found through most of the

 eastern United States. They have dense

 clusters of pink flower buds that open

up to blue flowers!

Virginia Bluebells are so pretty!

 Like many of the woodland plants I am sharing with you today, they remind me of my spring hikes through the woods of New England where I grew up. When I started my path, my goal was to create an experience similiar to the hikes I would take. Since I tended to spend most of the time with my head looking down so I wouldn't trip, I discovered many of my favorite wildflowers! I loved nothing more than to turn a corner and be greeted with a tiny wildflower next to a rock or at the base of a tree!

That's how I tried to plant along my path, planting a little pocket of plants here and there next to rocks, trees and other little natural features I found in my little patch of woods!

 Uvularia sessilifolia - Sessileleaf Bellwort,

 Wild Oats

.Blooms Early- to mid-spring

I like to call these little plants Wild Oats, the color of their hanging bells are a light yellow reminding of the color of oats. I believe these were native to my woods and I just transplanted them around different areas.

Now they have grown into large patches, showing off their delicate little bells. One might miss them since they are so slender and their bells hang below their leaf, but as a patch of them they are very charming!

Wild Cherry Blossoms

My Husband and I buy native seedlings
every year from our County Agricultural Extension Agency.
They offer a variety of native flowering trees and evergreens to choose from each year. I believe this is one of the wild cherry seedlings that is now 8' tall! They are pretty and provide fruit for the birds later in the season.

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily; Dogtooth Violet.

Trout lily is one of the early spring wildflowers.



Dog Tooth Violet or Trout Lily



Yellow Dog Tooth Violets bring me back to my childhood backyard where they grew in abundance along a stream we had flowing through our woods. I would sit along the stream in my teenage years and watch their beautiful flowers blow in the breeze. Their spotted green and brown leaves tightly covered this little mound along the bank and engulfed a large boulder that I would sit on and think about life. It was a nice place to escape the crazy life of a teen!!

 So I had to have them along my path too! However, after 26 years they are only now beginning to bloom! For several years I was surprised by one single flower amongst a sea of leaves! This year I was surprised to actually have four beautiful yellow flowers blooming! Woodland gardening takes a lot of patience - but like I have said before, it is so worth the wait!

Stylophorum diphyllum - Wood Poppy, Celandine Poppy.

A beautiful, yellow, early spring wildflower.

This gorgeous Celandine Poppy is only one of hundreds

 that bloom along my path.

I had purchased one little plant from Bowman Gardens

in PA, and thought it had died.

A year or two later, the foliage emerged, but no flower.

 However, once it began flowering in the coming years, it has spread to the point that I am passing plants along to neighbors or to who ever would like one!!

They do create beautiful drifts of yellow flowers, are native, and bloom for along time!  So, I think I'll let them stay!:-)

  Claytonia virginica - Virginia Spring Beau nty,

 Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty.

 Early spring wildflower that can be 4 to 12 inches tall. Very similar to

 Carolina Spring Beauty - C. caroliniana - with the primary differentiator

being the leaf shape. It is protected in Massachusetts, New Jersey,

and Rhode Island as an endangered or historical species,

according to the USDA Plants Database.

While writing this, I actually learned something

 I didn't know about Spring Beauties. I have to make a correction on last weeks walk when I showed a picture of Spring Beauties. I knew that the two patches of spring beauties I had along my path had the same flower but different leaves, however, I never took the time to look into why! Now I know that the picture above is the true Virginia Spring Beauties and the picture last week is actually the Carolina Spring Beauties! They are both beautiful, very delicate, very similar flower, but the difference in leaves was the give away!! I also didn't know that it is an endangered species. I am thrilled my little plants are happily spreading along my path! I don't know if they were endangered years ago when I first planted them but I always stress to everyone how important it is to buy wildflowers from a reputable source that grows them and doesn't take them from the wild! 





This is a picture of the Carolina Spring Beauties and White Common
Violets that happily grow this large rock.

 

Mourning Doves



As I was strolling along taking pictures I had two mourning doves keeping an eye on me. I love hearing their owl type sounds that they make, in fact when we first moved into this house I thought I was hearing an owl!! The joke was on me, when I put up my bird feeders and realized that the sound was coming from them!  I couldn't believe I was fooled!! I still love them anyway and enjoy having them around to keep me company!
 



There was also a lot of commotion going on briefly in my neighbors tree that is close to our property. I think some mating was going on!!  It was hard for me to identify what type of hawks they were but my guess was either cooper hawks or possibly the broad shouldered hawks that have recently nested nearby for the last two years! So, I will probably be seeing a few more of them later in the spring!

A section of my woodland path filling in with spring plants. 

The squirrels have been chasing each other around the trees and the male cardinals have been sweetly feeding their female sweethearts from the bird feeders. It's spring!

Love is in the air!!!

See you next week!

Tracey :-)



 

Wednesday.s Woodland Walk

This is one of the many birdhouses scattered along our woodland path. I painted this birdhouse with my children about 10 years ago. It has had many occupants over the years, but the past couple of years I noticed during very bad rain storms, you can usually see a little face peering out! Our gray squirrels are quite inventive and have renovated many different items around the yard (many of them my birdhouses) into little safe havens! 

 

Goatsbeard (Bride's Feather's) - Arnucus dioicus

A wonderful 3-6' native woodland plant. Arnucus means goat beard in greek.  I love its airy white plumes of tiny white flowers that rise above many of the other woodland plants.

Orange Honeysuckle - Lonicera ciliosa

Vines are also an interesting part of a woodland setting. Many times here in the east you will find virginia creeper, boston ivy, escaped wisteria vines and many other vines, climbing up tree trunks, rocks, or along the ground.  Many of our trees were covered with wisteria vines when we bought our home.  Wisteria slowly strangles your trees to death, so we cut them all down and had to diligently keep an eye out for newcomers.  We also had virginia creeper, that too lovcs to climb up the trunks of the trees giving a beautiful vertical dimension to the woods, however, I like to keep them short enough to be able to keep it under control.  

 Along our back fence I planted orange honeysuckle vines for added privacy from our neighbors. They can grow up to 18' along the ground or scramble up fences and other vertical structures. They are so pretty with their beautiful yellow/orange trumpet shaped flowers. However, the berries on this plant can be mildly poisonous if eaten by people, so beware of planting this if you have small children.

Hummingbirds love these vines!

 

Yellow Foxglove - Digitalis grandiflora

  They really stand out in the woodland setting with their pretty pale yellow flower spikes and dark green leaves. 

Oakleaf Foamflower 

The native foamflower bloomed earlier in the spring, but this is a hybrid called the oakleaf foamflower, receiving that common name because of the shape of its oak-like leaves. It is blooming now during the late spring.

Thanks for joining me on my woodland walk. 

See you next week!

My Collection of Trilliums on Wednesday's Woodland Walk

 Trillium erectum 'album'

Ahh, I just love trilliums! It has taken me years of patience to finally be able to enjoy a woodland path that is dotted with a variety of these amazing flowers! It can take up to 6-8 years for a trillium to go from seed to actually flowering, but it is soooo worth the wait!

Trillium

I discovered my first trillium while digging up ferns from a property that was going to become a road into a new housing development. I had obtained permission from the builder to take whatever plants I wanted since they were clearing everything and would soon be paved over with asphalt!  (Note: It is always important to get a property owners permission before taking a plant.  Many wildflowers are in decline, some are endangered, because of people taking them from the wild or over development. So I highly reccommend finding a nursery that grows wildflowers to buy from, unless, like this situation where the plants will be killed from construction).

It was a little nodding trillium, standing alone in the path of destruction. I'm so glad I was there to rescue it!  They are not the showiest of trilliums because its flower nods down below its leaves. After years of it blooming for me, the past two years it abruptly stopped, it is growing heartily and has actually multiplied into several plants now, so where the flowers are is another mystery!  I only have a picture of its leaves, which I'll spare you!

Purple Trillium - Trillium etectum

Many of my trilliums came in a mail order of purple trilliums years ago, they were shipped to me bareroot by a wildflower nursery. To my surprise, I think I only received a couple of actual purple trilliums.   After many years, some are just now blooming and they look a bit different!  So, I'm a bit baffled as to the exact name of some of the trilliums that have now begun blooming, one is even yellow! (I'd be thrilled if someone could identify them for me since I have spent hours on the internet trying to accurately ID them.)  It is important to make sure that the nursery you purchase wildflowers from, commercially grow them, and don't collect them from the wild. A practice we don't want to encourage since they can deplete them from an area. )

Sweet Betsy (Yellow form) orToadshade Trillium - Trillium recurvatum 'Shayi'

Whatever their names, I enjoy being surprised with their beautiful flowers each spring!

Yellow Trillium - Trillium luteum

Trillium means three-parted lily. Trilliums have three whorled leaves and a three petaled flower that comes from the center of the leaves. They can vary in color, size, mottled or solid green leaves and a host of other differences, so they can be a bit difficult to identify correctly!

Western White Trillium -Trillium ovatum (?)

White trilliums start to turn pink once they have been pollinated! This really confused me before I learned this fact. One day I was looking at a beautiful white flower and then a few days later I came out and found a pink one in its place!! I thought maybe the garden fairies were playing a trick on me!

White Trillium - Trillium grandiflorum

 Some interesting facts about Trilliums: 

* The White trillium has been known to symbolize the Holy Trinity in the Christian faith, because it's parts are in three's representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as being one.

*It is said that picking a white trillium off a mountain brings rain!

*The white flower of a White Trillium often is used to symbolize purity, beauty or recovery.

* The root of a trillium is used in natural medicine for a variety of ailments. 

*It was given the nickname birthroot by the indigenous North Americans who used it as a birthing aid!

*It is the state flower of Ohio.

*It is the emblem of the province of Onterio, Canada.

* Ants are the main source of how trillium seeds are spread!

Prarie Trillium - Trillium recurvatum (?)

Trilliums are often a favorite flower for the white tailed deer to dine on. Picking a trillium can seriously injure or kill the plant taking years for it to recover. Before we raised the wire fencing on our property, I had to put wire cages on my plants so they wouldn't be eaten by our local deer!

A little collection of trilliums along my woodland path!

Hope you enjoyed your walk with me today!

Have a great week! :-)

Tracey

Wednesday's Woodland Walk - Violets

 Viola pubescens

This week, most of the violets are blooming along our woodland path. Violets have always enchanted me since I was a little girl. I remember collecting all the beautiful purple/blue flowers into little bouquets before the lawn would be cut! They were so delicate! As I spent more and more time in the woods hiking, I happily discovered that there were many different colored violets!

Viola sororia (the white form)

When my husband and I moved into our home and created our woodland path, one of my goals was to start collecting a variety of violets. Right now I probably have 6-8 different varieties that I slowly gathered from friends yards and native wildflower sales.

Common Blue Violet- Viola sororia

 Although there are so many different flowers in bloom this week, I thought I would concentrate on these little beauties! Many people take violets for granted and don't really stop and enjoy these delicate flowers. The common blue or white violet can become a nuisance, popping up in little colonies in your lawn, but the next time you see them, stop and take another look. Better yet, make yourself a little bouquet! They are so charming in a little vase! You'll be amazed at their beauty!

I like to make little bouquets with some of my violets. My yellow violets haven't spread enough for me to want to steal a flower or two, but I'm sure next year I will be enjoying them in my little vases too!

Hairy Violet -Viola hirta

Hairy Violet -Viola hirta

 The violet is New Jersey's State Flower! It is also the state flower for Wisconson, Illinois, and Rhode Island.

 

I'm not sure what the name of this was, but it is a beautiful reddish purple color, very striking when its mixed with the other violets.

Sweet White Violet - Viola blanda

These small violets are very fragrant. They grow to a height of 3-5". Their shiny dark green leaves and flowers are on separate stems.

 -

'Freckles' Violet - Viola sororia 'Freckles'

Did you know that violet leaves are rich in vitamins A & C? Believe it or not, you can add them to your salads, cook them as greens (like spinach) or garnish cold soups. Their flowers are also edible, and can be made into candies and jellies!! I believe Martha Stewart explains how to sugar them and add them to cakes for edible decorations. They can also be used to decorate pastries, and fruit desserts. Just remember to only eat plants that were not sprayed with pesticides. If you chemically treat your lawn, you may not want to go grazing on it!!

Their fragrance can be extracted by steeping their flowers and leaves in water until it smells fragrant. This Violet Water, can then be used in teas, scent bedding or clothing (if rinsed or sprayed with it), and scent or flavor many other wonderful products.

Violets have also been used for medicinal purposes such as treating headaches, colds, coughs, sore throats and constipation.

Small grouping of violets along the path.

PS  Through the years I have lost many of the exact names of these flowers, so a few may be misnamed by me. Hopefully with a little more research I will be able to verify that these are accurately named!

Have you done anything special with violets? I'd love to hear from you!

 

Wednesday's Woodland Walk

Dutchman's Breeches

The early spring wildflowers along my woodland path have finally burst into full bloom this week! After a few days of rain, the warmth of the sun seemed to bring the woods back to life from the long cold winter! Here are a few of the wonderful flowers that are making me smile this week!

The Dutchman's Breeches (above picture) are one of my favorites! The odd flower looks like a pair of pants turned upside down (personally, I think they look like teeth!) They grow up to 12" and have finely cut leaves. Once these plants got established in my woods they began multiplying into large clumps that I divided and transplanted into different areas of the path. After blooming, their leaves die back in the summer.  (Interesting fact: Bumble bees are one of the only insects that can reach deep inside the flower with their long tongues to get the nectar.)

They look great with the blue snow glories shown in the picture!

Snow Glories

Beautiful  snow glories are beginning to carpet the woodland floor in a sea of blue patches. These lovely star shaped flowers spread quickly and grow to about 4-6". They go dormant after blooming and disappear by the summer.

Spring  Beauty

These lovely white to pink dainty native flowers can be enjoyed only when its sunny out! These interesting flowers close each night, on cloudy days, and if you try to pick them! Needless to say, enjoy them where they are growing! Their tubers are edible, but I think I will test that out some other time!

Growing to 6-12" high, they slowly spread by self seeding and spreading rhizomes. After blooming they die back and go dormant until next spring.

Bloodroot

When my husband and I went to the Smokey Mountains, there was a store that was selling these little gems in small packets of 3. I bought a pack just to see if they would live in this area. Wildflowers are quite particular about their habitats and I was quite surprised after two years I finally saw a single white flower popping up from the leaves. 20 years later I have been able to transplant little groups of these wonderful flowers around my path. I just love how they popup with the single leaf wrapped around the stem and then slowly open up as the flower blooms. Bloodroot has gorgeous white petatls and  received its name for the red juice within its rhizome. It grows 6-9" and will usually go dormant in the summer on my path when there is not enough rain.

Another interesting fact about this plant is when the seed pod splits open to release the seeds they are often collected by ants and carried away for them to eat the nutrituious outer area of the seed. That helps the bloodroot spread to other areas.

  I hope to share more awesome flowers next week. I love this time of year. Each day there is something new to be delighted by! Now is a wonderful time to go hiking in your local woods. Grab your wildflower guide and let me know what you discovered. Just to remind you, wildflowers should never be dug up from public lands unless you have permission! Many local garden clubs or wildflower sanctuaries have annual sales. I live about an hour away from Bowman's Hill Wildflower Sanctuary in PA , over the years I have purchased many of my wildflowers at their annual plant sale. It's first come, first served, so if anyone decides to go to one of these plant sales, go early for the best selection!

Have a great day!

 

Woodland Walk Wednesdays - Early Spring Hepaticas

There is nothing more wonderful than taking a walk in the woods and discovering a beautiful wildflower blooming along the path! These gorgeous blue Hepaticas (hepatica americana) with their dainty creamy white stamens are such a treat to see blooming just as the snowdrops are beginning to fade.

There are two common species of hepaticas that are distinguished by the shape of their three-lobed leaves. On my woodland path, I have both the sharp-lobed hepaticas and the round-lobed hepaticas. They bloom in a range of whites, pinks, purples and blues. The pictures show the round lobed hepaticas, which in my garden, bloom a little earlier than the sharp lobed hepaticas.

When we moved into our home many years ago, it was a far cry from the house we dreamed of, but, it was our little slice of heaven on a pretty wooded 3/4 acre lot.  Being avid hikers, we decided to carve out several paths through our woods so we could enjoy hiking through our property everyday if we wanted!  With a little thought as to where we wanted to enter into the woods and exit, we began clearing a path with a machete. We let several interesting areas like the large rock we could sit on, the two mature black walnut trees that grow within a few feet of each other, and the wild raspberry patch guide the direction of where the path would go.

We had one of our local tree services come and deliver wood chips for the path. Many times they are happy to deliver it for free if they are working in the area. It isn't aged mulch or finely shredded, it's the chipped trees that they just cut down. Not great for garden beds near the house or foundation, but perfect for a woodland path or beds where you don't mind looking at it until it ages to a nice grey or brown.

It was a lot of work moving 16 cubic yds. of woodchips from the driveway, up a steep hill, across the lawn, and into the woods, one wheel barrel at a time! But it was so worth it!  We enjoy our woodland path almost every day and all our dogs have loved it too! 

My goal was to keep the beautiful natural woods we had, but enhance them with more of our native wildflowers, trees and shrubs.  I had been collecting wildflowers for several years in a little garden I had at the cottage we rented. When we moved, I dug them up and brought them all with me!

This is when my adventure began!

I really learned a tremendous amount about wildflower gardening and would love to share some of this with you. If you're interested, join me each wednesday to learn more about how I developed our woodland path, tips on how to garden with native wildflowers, and see what's blooming along our path! 

 I would love to hear from you! Feel free to jump in and share any tips, ideas or questions you may have!

Happy Gardening!
Tracey