April 30, 2024

Walking through FT Proctor Park on an early spring day, things are starting to look greener, trees are beginning to bud, but you probably don’t notice much of anything blooming.  Last year, we found ourselves wondering what the bees and other pollinators are finding for nourishment as they begin emerging in the spring.  It turns out, in early spring, you have to slow down and take a closer look.

Last year we did just that.  We set out on a scavenger hunt for blooms through FT Proctor Park, and this is what we found.

Not Much to See Here

At first glance, the woodland behind the 2 bathhouses on the Lily Pond Plateau looks void of much but bare trees and a carpet of leaves.  It wasn’t until we spotted a small red flower right next to the path that we noticed them growing throughout the woodland floor.  This red trillium, or Trillium erectum, has 3 leaves and a 3-petaled flower.

Red Trillium Bud

The small, low to the ground leaves and dark red color didn’t stand out until we knew what to look for. They are native to our deciduous forests and need to receive lots of sunlight in the early growing season.  Here it is taking advantage of the sunny forest floor before the trees leaf out.  The carpet of last fall’s leaves keep the soil moist and acidic which they prefer.  Red trillium is known as a harbinger of spring, and like other spring ephemerals, will grow only during those brief periods when conditions are favorable, and then will mostly fade away until the next spring.

Once we knew where to look, we began to find more things blooming on the forest floor.  The yellow trout lily, or Erythronium americanum, doesn’t look like much from above, and even with its yellow color isn’t much easier to see than the red trillium was.  But again, looking into the distance we began to see them spreading out before us.  Get down close to the ground and the striking lily-like flower reveals itself.  Its leaves have a green and brown mottled pattern that resemble the markings of the brown or brook trout.  Trout lilies are growing happily here behind the bathhouses and in the wooded areas across the creek on the north side of the park.

Unfurling Leaves of Mayapples

The Mayapple, or Podophyllum peltatum, is even more rare to find, although easier to spot.  Each plant only has 2 leaves and one flower, but the leaves are large, umbrella-like, and quite showy.  The leaves remain closed until the stem reaches its final height of about 12 inches and then unfurl.  As seen here, the leaves are just beginning to open up. The single, white flower grows underneath, again, forcing you to get down to the ground to see it.  When happy, mayapples will form a dense mat in moist, open woods.

We found smooth yellow violets, Viola eriocarpa, and common blue violets, Viola sororia, blooming almost everywhere – both in the woods and in the open grass.  Considered a weed by many, violets are amazing plants that support many kinds of wildlife and can be used as a weed suppressing groundcover in gardens.  They will grow in difficult conditions, including under black walnut trees.  And while we only took note of these two varieties, there are over 200 species of violets native to North America. Those big, fuzzy bees you see bumbling about in spring?  Bumble bees and many other native bees mostly nest underground under trees and the protective cover of leaves in the winter. Abandoned rodent holes are a bumble bee favorite. In the spring, they raise their young in these ground nests too.  Having pollen and nectar sources like these violets close to their nesting sites help the bees thrive in this difficult season when blooms can be rare.  The pollination services the bees provide to these spring flowers help the plants proliferate as well.   It’s the circle of life right here on the woodland floor in FT Proctor Park.

Poison Ivy Emerging in Spring

One to recognize and watch out for was not in bloom, but was beginning to leaf out at the park too – poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans. The young leaves look red in spring but quickly turn shiny, bright green before turning red and yellow in the fall.  Be careful not to touch it as it can cause severe skin irritations.  When left to grow in areas away from trails where human interaction is less likely, poison ivy has many wildlife benefits.  Birds and woodpeckers eat the plant’s berries in the fall and amphibians find shelter within its leaves.

So what did we learn from our early spring scavenger hunt?  FT Proctor Park is amazingly alive at this time of year.  Along with the spring blooming serviceberry and redbud trees, these small, often overlooked spring flowers provide critical food resources for our native bumble bees, mason bees, sweat bees and other pollinators when food is scarce.  Their foliage provides for the caterpillars looking to beef up before transforming into the butterflies and moths that we see later in the summer and fall.  Birds and small mammals enjoy their seeds.  What we found confirms FT Proctor Park is supporting the wildlife that will continue to live here throughout the year.  Knowing these species are growing here and documenting where they are thriving will help Olmsted City plan projects and improvements to the park without disturbing or destroying their habitat.  One such project has already been adjusted to account for the large colonies of trout lily and trillium that are thriving in the woodland behind the bathhouses on the Lily Pond Plateau.  Conserving these areas is part of our Olmsted City mission to maintain a healthy ecosystem for everything that uses the park.

This nature hunt was also fun! Next year we hope you will join us for our first, official Bioblitz to search for and document more things at FT Proctor Park.  A Bioblitz brings together volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members to count the plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms within a certain place in a short period of time.   It is a unique biological survey that encourages a relationship between people and their natural environment. Citizens learn about the biological diversity of local natural spaces. In the process, they gain skills and knowledge and develop a stronger connection to nature. A BioBlitz also aims to promote and improve local natural spaces by empowering communities to better understand and protect biodiversity.  To learn more about a Bioblitz, visit the National Geographic Society website here:  https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/bioblitz/.