Wenesday Wildflower Time

This won't  happen every Wednesday, but some Wednesdays are going to become...

Wildflower Wednesdays!

The first installment in the Wildflower Wednesdays series is going to focus on a cool little flower often missed even by those who purposefully get out to find the earliest spring blooms.  I'm talkin' about Erigenia bulbosa, people!  AKA Harbinger of Spring, AKA Pepper and Salt.

E. bulbosa, found as far north as central New York and southern Wisconsin, west to the western Ozarks and south to central Alabama.  Look for this plant in rich hardwood forests.

One of the things I was excited about upon moving to Missouri was that I would FINALLY be in a region that experienced a classic Spring burgeoning.  I was particularly interested in getting out during my first Spring here in order to see and photograph as many Spring ephemerals as possible.  Southern Georgia had its excellent share of cool plantlife and wildflowers, but I was always envious of the northern portion of the state for its springtime wildflowers in the mountains (Appalachian forest, the only saving grace of the northern half of the state).

I familiarized myself with Missouri's springtime blooms all winter and knew exactly what I wanted to see and when I should start looking.  This brings me to the subject of my current rambling.  The Harbinger of Spring is named quite accordingly.  This plant can begin blooming when Spring isn't even a thought on anyone's mind yet. Well, Spring seems to be a thought on my mind throughout the entirety of Winter.  Anyways, my copy of "Missouri Wildflowers" lists the bloom date for this species as January through April.  The first time I met this plant was on March 13, 2010.  This was a dreary, chilly, drizzle-soaked day. Spring was struggling to start, but the Harbinger wasn't struggling at all. I photographed several individuals in a large colony at the base of a shady, wooded slope.  Many in full bloom and even some finishing up flowering already!

The Harbinger of Spring, making its way up through the cold, rain-soaked leaves of March.

Erigenia bulbosa is a member o the carrot family (Apiaceae) and happens to be the only species in its genus.  Looking at the plant as a whole reveals a couple of characteristics that give away its membership to the carrot family.

Typical of the carrot family, the leaves of this plant are sheathed at the base and pinnately divided into many small sections.  I discovered this tiny set of blooms unsheathing itself below some dead leaves.

All members of the carrot family have their flowers arranged as an umbel (originating from a single point), as seen above.  Just for scale, the petals of this flower are only 3-4 mm long!

Pepper and Salt, what kind of name is that?   This common name originates from the look of the older blooms seen above.

This winter has been the mildest yet since my time here in Missouri.  I wouldn't be surprised if the trusty ol' Harbinger is already out and about.  After all, that groundhog didn't see its shadow.  I think I know what I'm doing this weekend....

You should get out and look around too, turns out these plants are endangered in New York and Wisconsin and threatened in Pennsylvania.  Not everyone is lucky enough to ring in Spring with this cool little plant, I'm glad I have the opportunity to do just that.