The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring

Photo public domain. Coltsfoot.

Gilbert and Sullivan purists are welcome to add the “tra-la’s” to the title!  Despite the snow (of course, not at all uncommon) that we got last week, spring has truly come.  And here and there in gardens and in natural places flowers are a welcome sight. We are very lucky here in Cavan-Monaghan to have numerous natural areas to walk in and view these colourful signs of spring.

Coltsfoot, even though non-native, is a pert yellow daisy that grows in many easily accessible places in the sun. It is one of the first plants to flower, well before its large silvery leaves appear. Its botanical name of Tussilago reveals that it was once used as a remedy for coughs.  I think we can all be happy such folk remedies are no longer needed.

In wet areas that are not too shady look for Marsh Marigolds. Of course they’re not related at all to the ordinary marigolds but they form large clumps with handsome leaves and bright yellow flowers.  If you think the flowers look more like buttercups then you’ve already guessed the family they belong to.

In woodlands look for patches of single leaves mottled with browns and purples.  In amongst the leaves you will see yellow flowers that hang down singly from each stem.  This handsome plant points out a problem with common names.  Dogtooth Violet was the name I first knew it as; but another equally good name is Trout Lily.  Botanists would sniff and shake their heads because they are not violets and most people wouldn’t recognize them as lilies; and they would go on to inform you that you really ought to be calling them Erythronium.  No comment!

In the same woodlands also look for our lovely native Bloodroot. It has just begun to sport its bright white daisy flowers. At first flowering the leaves are tightly clasped around the stem but they soon open out. A blanket of these in bloom is a sight worth seeing. But you have to be quick because they last for only several days.

Our provincial floral emblem is one of our most showy woodland flowers.  It is white with three petals and three leaves.  And drifts of it in woodlands are something you will never forget. A related flower is the red trillium that blooms slightly earlier and is often called Wake Robin.  The red colour can blend in with the leaf litter so keep an eye out.

And finally another common white flower of our woodlands is Toothwort or Dentaria. This is a plant I see many places but for some reason I usually forget its name.  Both the common name and botanical name refer to the teeth or indentations on the leaves.

These half-dozen spring flowers, whether native or not, brighten our woods and other natural areas. They all share the limited colour palette of white and yellow.  If you are lucky though you might stumble across a drift of hepatica which produce purple, pink or white blossoms. But such beauties never seem to occur in the areas of my normal walks.

I have tried to focus this month on a subject totally unrelated to birds because I have a suspicion that I write too much about birds. But how can I not make some reference to birds in an article on spring?! Already the spring migration is in full swing. And if you haven’t seen the first warbler yet, it won’t be long. These small, usually colourful, fast-moving birds have a special place in the hearts of most birdwatchers. But I must make one other mention on the subject of birds before I close.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is one of our woodpeckers. They  are handsome birds and many people know them  from the telltale small series of holes they drill in trees as they feed. They also have the interesting habit of communicating their presence by drumming on resonant surfaces. These Morse code-like signals are usually produced on specially selected trees or telephone polls; but this spring one of the sapsuckers has got the bright idea of drumming on metal surfaces.  I first noticed it when, to my astonishment, I realized the racket I was hearing was a sapsucker pounding on metal flashing on my roof. The steel roof of my neighbours’ outbuilding seems to have become a favourite signalling spot.

There are many flowers now to brighten our days and cheer us after the rigours of winter.  “The Flowers that bloom in the Spring” lyrics go on to say “We welcome the hope that they bring.” In these dire days of continuing pandemic we very much need this hope. Get out! And enjoy!

Get Out! by Glen Spurrell

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