By Taylor Brennan, Nature Educator
The colorful transition between spring and summer includes the return of green foliage, baby geese wandering in fields, reconnecting with warm sunshine, and the blossoming of many wildflowers that call New York their home. The wild world of flowers can bring the idea that nature is not just a place to find your peace, but can also become an exploratory scavenger hunt.
As someone who has called the forest my ‘second home’, more recent years have transformed this from a place to escape the world to a place where I can gain knowledge. I have also been accustomed to watch as patterns unfold themselves throughout the never-ending cycle of seasons. Wildflowers, as pretty as they may be, hold secrets and treasures of their own.
Spring is an integral time during the year for long-awaited food consumption for many animals that rely on this new growth to survive. Bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds find much nutrition in feeding from the sweet nectar inside wildflowers. Without bees transferring pollen from flower to flower, many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy would not be possible. The pollen brought between plants allows them to produce fruits and flowers through this symbiotic relationship. Meaning, both bees and plants benefit from the interactions they have with one another.
One special flower I have come to discover this recent spring is called a trillium. ‘Tri’, meaning three, gives us a hint as to how many petals these flowers have when they bloom. After some research, I learned that trilliums are a wonderful example of how nature takes its time to produce beauty. When planted from seed, trilliums take about 9 years to have their first flowering bloom. When I see a trillium growing wild in the forest, this reminds me that good things take time, even if it is through a 9-year long journey of growth. The next time you find a trillium, you may cherish the moment with a picture from your camera and make the wise choice to not pick it, remembering that it can be nearly a decade before another one blooms if taken from its home.
Year after year of living where fields are plentiful, I found myself using an app on my phone called “Seek,” which is a great identification tool if you become a nature scavenger hunt participant like myself.
There are three wildflowers that share very similar characteristics: Cow Parsnip, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Poison Hemlock. It should be noted that although these wildflowers are prominent in outdoor spaces, it is due to the fact that they are invasive species in the United States. These plants, when overgrown, can disturb native wildflowers that need space and nutrients to grow. Additionally, two of these plants are harmless, while the third if toxic if consumed. This trifecta opens my mind to the idea that petals are not the only ways we can identify wildflowers. By taking a close look at the characteristics of their stems can help build memory strategies, which may save lives!
Samuel Thayer, author of “Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants,” explains that “Poison hemlock stems are smooth and hairless with a prominent white bloom. You can see the [white] streak where I rubbed the bloom off with my finger.” Poison hemlock also include short purple splotches on its stem, almost acting as a warning to those who are searching for its lookalikes. These two clues mentioned above are just some of many ways to figure out which plant you are exploring. One way I know which of the three is Queen Anne’s Lace is by remembering that queens are not hairy, except this one! Queen Anne’s Lace contains short hairs on the stem and are easily visible in broad daylight if you look closely. Lastly, when searching for clues on the stem and you find subtle ridges traveling up and down the stalk, you have found Cow parsnip.
The wild world of flowers gives us endless opportunities to find small details that can change the meaning of plants we come across quite often. Let your next adventure outdoors encourage you to search for wildflowers we share this land with.
Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature. ACNC is located just east of Route 62 between Warren and Jamestown. The trails are open from dawn to dusk and birds of prey can be viewed anytime the trails are open. The Nature Center is open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. daily except Sunday when it opens at 1 p.m. More information can be found online at auduboncnc.org or by calling (716) 569-2345.
Featured image: Photo of Queen Anne’s Lace with hairs on stem – Photo by Jo Zimny
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