Recent Signs of Spring
There are plants preparing for spring, on both the campus of Ohio University and in the woods near Athens, Ohio. Here's a few more examples (see previous posts as well).
Spring Cress (Cardamine bulbosa, a.k.a. Bulbous Bittercress) has been pushing up its rounded basal leaves, which grow on long petioles (stems) that terminate at the ground. By pushing back some leaf litter, you may also find a few plants that have put up small stalks and flower buds. Notice that the leaves on the stalk are sessile (without a stem) and are pointed. The plant stands tall when it is full grown (up to a foot), and the flowers are four petaled and relatively large compared to other members of this Genus (Bittercress in the last post is closely related, but has tiny flowers). One of the common names of the plant (Bulbous Bittercress) refers to the bulb-like root stock just under the surface of earth. The plant has a bitter, pungent taste, like other members of the Mustard family. It prefers constantly moist soil, and is often found in bottom lands, or on shady hill sides where the land tends to level or bowl and water may drain only slowly. In Ohio, the plant is common, but in New Hampshire it is actually endangered.
Spring Beauties are an easily recognized wildflower and signal the arrival of spring for many a forest wanderer. They are often seen growing in patches, which may have something to do with their life cycle. In the first place, Spring Beauty overwinters by storing energy in a corm, a small tuber-like root (these are edible, though, not very useful as a wild food source because they rarely grow larger than the diameter of a nickle, and are tedious to gather). A single plant will spread out, much like a potato would, by sending out nodes that grow into corms. Secondly, their method of seed dispersal favors clumps of flowers growing together. Each seed has attached to it an elaiosome, a fatty deposit. This is a special adaption that attracts ants, and can be found in numerous flowering plants (an example of convergent evolution, where multiple species develop the same adaption without sharing a common ancestor with that adaption). The ants collect the seeds, feed the elaiosomes to their offspring, then dispose of the seeds in a nutrient rich waste area (a trash pile).
The familiar Spring Beauty can be distinguished into two similar, but different species: Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty) and Claytonia carolinia (Carolina Spring Beauty). C. virginica is more common in this region and has long slender leaves (as pictured), while C. carolina has broader leaves becoming almost ovate that attach to the main stalk with a distinct petiole. The species can grow together within the same stand, and are nearly indistinguishable unless examined closely. Spring Beauty prefers a habitat much like Spring Cress, but unlike C. bulbosa, can also be found growing in city lawns. This picture was snapped on about January 24th, on the campus of Ohio University near the old river channel. The leaves come up much earlier, though. I saw them this year in December out in the woods, slowly gathering energy for an early spring bloom.
Spring Cress (Cardamine bulbosa, a.k.a. Bulbous Bittercress) has been pushing up its rounded basal leaves, which grow on long petioles (stems) that terminate at the ground. By pushing back some leaf litter, you may also find a few plants that have put up small stalks and flower buds. Notice that the leaves on the stalk are sessile (without a stem) and are pointed. The plant stands tall when it is full grown (up to a foot), and the flowers are four petaled and relatively large compared to other members of this Genus (Bittercress in the last post is closely related, but has tiny flowers). One of the common names of the plant (Bulbous Bittercress) refers to the bulb-like root stock just under the surface of earth. The plant has a bitter, pungent taste, like other members of the Mustard family. It prefers constantly moist soil, and is often found in bottom lands, or on shady hill sides where the land tends to level or bowl and water may drain only slowly. In Ohio, the plant is common, but in New Hampshire it is actually endangered.
Spring Beauties are an easily recognized wildflower and signal the arrival of spring for many a forest wanderer. They are often seen growing in patches, which may have something to do with their life cycle. In the first place, Spring Beauty overwinters by storing energy in a corm, a small tuber-like root (these are edible, though, not very useful as a wild food source because they rarely grow larger than the diameter of a nickle, and are tedious to gather). A single plant will spread out, much like a potato would, by sending out nodes that grow into corms. Secondly, their method of seed dispersal favors clumps of flowers growing together. Each seed has attached to it an elaiosome, a fatty deposit. This is a special adaption that attracts ants, and can be found in numerous flowering plants (an example of convergent evolution, where multiple species develop the same adaption without sharing a common ancestor with that adaption). The ants collect the seeds, feed the elaiosomes to their offspring, then dispose of the seeds in a nutrient rich waste area (a trash pile).
The familiar Spring Beauty can be distinguished into two similar, but different species: Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty) and Claytonia carolinia (Carolina Spring Beauty). C. virginica is more common in this region and has long slender leaves (as pictured), while C. carolina has broader leaves becoming almost ovate that attach to the main stalk with a distinct petiole. The species can grow together within the same stand, and are nearly indistinguishable unless examined closely. Spring Beauty prefers a habitat much like Spring Cress, but unlike C. bulbosa, can also be found growing in city lawns. This picture was snapped on about January 24th, on the campus of Ohio University near the old river channel. The leaves come up much earlier, though. I saw them this year in December out in the woods, slowly gathering energy for an early spring bloom.
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