Marsh Marigold

This flower is not a marigold at all. Neltje Blanchan writes that it is during the Middle Ages when it was probably named Marigold. Its early Spring arrival may be the reason it is suppose to be one of the blossoms devoted to the Virgin Mary during church festivals. It is the flower that Shakespeare is refering to in "Cymbleline", when the musicians sing "And winking Mary-buds begin to ope their golden eye" . Neltje goes on to say that in April, in Avon, the watery meadows twinkle with Marsh Marigolds.

Pat found this flower in 1942 and called it Cowslip, another of its names.

Bloodroot

Isn't this flower just beautiful? The Bloodroot flower can appear shy, hiding in one of  its leaves that wrap around like  a cape. It is not really shy, it is just waiting for the right temperature or even the warmth of the sunlight to reach it, then it will reveal itself to all of us who admire its beauty.
I think that one of the interesting characteristics of this plant is its ability to self-pollinate. The flowers usually last about three days. At the end of the three days, if the insects have not passed the pollen from the stamen to the stigma, the flower takes matters into its own hands. The stamen at this time move inward toward the stigma in hope that some of their pollen will reach the stigma and thus starting the process of making seeds for the next season. We walk in the woods admiring these beauties ... but thinking them quite without goals and intelligence, not realizing that as we pass they maybe moving silently to accomplish one of its most important tasks.... pollination.

Pat did find this flower on the farm in 1942.

Trout-Lily

This week has brought forth some lovely Spring beauties. Elinor, who was rarely if ever called Elinor, went by the name Pat, a nick-name her father gave her, found in the year 1942 about fifteen wild flowers by the end of this week in April. I have found about the same, though they are not all the same as the ones mentioned on Pat's list. I will list both lists so far at the end of this blog entry.
Trout-Lily or Adder's Tongue is one of the flowers on both our lists. This years flowers are quite small compared to some of the past years I have discovered them. I think it may be the dryness of this year. If you see a Trout-Lily flower and find it surrounded by many Trout-Lily leaves but not many flowers, what you are seeing is the younger sisters of the flowering plant. The first year one leaf is put forth and it gathers enough energy to store for next year in its underground bulb. The second year can produce a second leaf and these two leaves work together to produce enough food to be stored for the third year. The third or fourth year produces a flower. If you get a chance, click on the flower image and you will notice the reddish anthers. Look closely and you will see that a few of the anthers are shriveled and covered with pollen. Tomorrow the other anthers will shrivel revealing their pollen. This, they believed is so that a greedy bee can not make off with all the pollen. The second day gives this flower a better chance in the world of survival of the fittest.
1942
Bluets
Adder's Tongue (Trout Lily)
Mayflowers
White violet
Dandelion
Bloodroot
Five Finger
Purple Violet
Spring Beauties
Wind Flower
White Hepatica
Yellow Violet
Cow Slip
Sessile-leaved Bellwort
Wild Oats
2013
Birds Eye Speedwell
Chickweed
Colsfoot
Bloodroot
Trout Lily (Adder's Tongue)
Ground Ivy (Jill-O-the-Ground)
Wind Flower
Lesser Celandine
Marsh Marigold
Bluet
Wild Oats
Dandilion
Kidneyleaf Buttercup

Coltsfoot

Elinor, the 14 year old girl of 1942 grew up on a farm that has one of the most spectacular views in New England. The name of that farm today is Black Birch Vineyard... and even though the name has changed, and I may not find all the flowers that Elinor did, one thing remains the same.... the beauty of this parcel of land. I ventured down to the North branch of the Manhan River and found this Coltsfoot flower growing on its banks. One of the interesting characteristics of the Coltsfoot flower is that it comes up before its leaves. One of the names given to this flowering plant, and there are many, is filius-ante-patrem, which is Latin and means, son before father. What you are seeing are two different kinds of flowers on the same flower head. Ray flowers which resemble sun rays, and disk flowers which are in the center. (If you click on the flower you can see this more clearly) Even though it looks like a Dandilion it is really quite special... it is what is called monotypic, which means it is the only species within its genus.

Elinor did not mention Coltsfoot on her list.

This years blog starts on April 15th 2013, Spring! A new Beginning, is the title. If you would like to know the back ground story to this years blog, please go back and read about how Elinor became part of this blog.

Spring! A new begining

In 1942, America was fighting in the second World War, war bonds were being sold, gas rationed and Japanese Americans were being placed into internment camps. In 1942 Jimmy Hendrix, Paul McCartney, and Charlie Rose were being born. Casablanca and Bambi were first released in 1942, and  "White Christmas"  and "Deep in the Heart of Texas"  were coming across the air waves. Also, during the Spring of 1942, Elinor, a young, 14 year old farm girl from Southampton, Massachusetts started keeping a list of the wild flowers she found growing on the family farm. She has been kind enough to give me that list to see if I can find what grows 71 years later on that very same farm. 
It is a cold and dry beginning to this Spring of 2013, but on my first walk around some of the upper woods and fields I did happen to find two tiny flowers braving the elements. 
Bird's-eye Speedwell is a treat to see in New England at this time of year because there is so little color to be found. Tennyson described it in his poem "In Memoriam" as "darling blue". 
Mouse-ear Chickweed, a white flower no larger than your little finger nail is still considered a lawn weed even though it is a food source for many birds. In France it is called mouron des oiseaux, meaning, morsel for the birds, and in Latin, morus gallinae, meaning, morsel for the hens. It is called Mouse-ear because if you look closely at this little flower in the field it has little mouse-ear shaped leaves that are very hairy.

Elinor does not mention the Speedwell on her lists, but she does mention Chickweed in May.