Ex Vere Sacro: Wildflower Weekend.

This weekend I went to Clifton Gorge, Wright State Woods, and Caesar Creek Gorge. Together, I saw more than 30 wildflower species in bloom. Here I will write about some special ones I found.


White Trout Lily. Wright State Woods, April 21, 2018

Caesar Creek Gorge, April 22.

Yellow Trout Lily. Caesar Creek Gorge, April 22.

I saw two in three our Ohio Erythronium, both white (E. albidum) and yellow (E. americanum) trout lilies in full bloom. I was really lucky for see white trout lily in two areas, both Wright State Woods and Caesar Creek Gorge. It is normal for not see many trout lily flowers, so happen I was really happy to see close to 10 yellow trout lily and more than 20 white trout lily. In Caesar Creek Gorge these soldier beetles (Cantharidae) really like the trout lily nectar, so happen I think they pollinate trout lily flowers.

Twinleaf. Caesar Creek Gorge, April 22.

I am really more surprised I also saw twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) in Caesar Creek Gorge! I really did not expect see it on slopes when I hike up from the creek! I never hear it is in this area before, and there is only one small group of plants. I was happy to see one flower still with some petals! Twinleaf flowers are really similar to bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) but Twinleaf is in the barberry family and bloodroot is in the poppy family. If you look really close at the twinleaf flower you can see it has really weird anthers, you only see this kind anther in Berberidaceae. Bloodroot and Twinleaf are convergent in many ways, and I think it is because they both live in early spring and need attract insects when there are not many fly around. Many early spring flowers are white with big petals or sepals. Both species have leather feel leaf that protect from cold and grow a lot more big in late spring. Both have really fragile flowers with ant dispersed seeds. I saw this plant in my friend her garden recently but this is the first time I see in wild.

Aborted Buttercup. Clifton Gorge, April 21.

Hispid Buttercup. Caesar Creek Gorge, April 22.

I also saw two buttercup species (Ranunculus) I never know before, Aborted Buttercup (R. abortivus) and Hispid Buttercup (R. hispidus). Aborted buttercup I found both Clifton Gorge and Caesar Creek Gorge, they were really common in more dry areas on slopes and ridge. It is a really weird flower with tiny triangle yellow petals and divided leaves. Hispid buttercup I found only in Caesar Creek Gorge in the creek floodplain. It has three lobed leaves normally, but sometimes they become one lobe on plants. Because leaves vary it is a little bit confusing.

Common Chickweed. Caesar Creek, April 22.

Spring Draba. Clifton Gorge, April 21.

I saw two tiny not native plants this weekend, they are new for me and they really are not problem. I think they are pretty and interesting and okay. First is Common Chickweed (Stellaria media) and second is Spring Draba (Draba verna). They both like more dry disturbed open areas. I saw common chickweed in both Clifton Gorge and Caesar Creek gorge in dry edge habitat. There are 4 native and 3 other not native Stellaria in Ohio, but there is no record for them in Greene or Warren counties. I only saw spring draba in one area in Clifton Gorge on this one limestone rock. There were many tiny plants and tiny white flowers. There are 3 native whitlow grass (Draba) in Ohio, but they are rare and found really more south. It is a little bit weird find this plant like disturbed areas in middle Clifton Gorge on rock, but I look at leaves, and they seem different from the native species. Maybe I am wrong but I think that make it more exciting. If this is spring draba it is plant Aldo Leopold write about and say spring draba flower is "it is no spring flower, but only a postscript to a hope." I think it is more than that here because now we really have spring, beautiful spring.

Wild Phlox. Caesar Creek Gorge, April 22.

Large Flower Trillium. Clifton Gorge, April 21.

Some plants I see this weekend I not yet see this year and it is really nice see them, they are Wild Phlox (Phlox divarica) and Large Flower Trillium (Trillium grandifolium). They both have pretty flowers.

Smooth Rockcress. Clifton Gorge, April 21.

One really special flower I see, finally, it is Smooth Rockcress (Boechera laevigata). I waited two months for this and finally I see first flowers Saturday. They are small and maybe normal for mustard family flowers but I think they are pretty and interesting.

Under here are some other wildflowers I see, but not all. There are many wildflowers now, it is time for Spring.