Spring ephemerals are a group of herbaceous plants that emerge and bloom in early spring, typically in forests or woodlands, often while sunlight reaches the forest floor before the canopy tree leaves out. These plants have a short life cycle, with their growth, flowering, and seed production occurring rapidly in the early spring months. They are called “ephemerals” because they appear briefly and then disappear, going dormant for the rest of the year before the summer heat sets in.
Spring ephemerals play a crucial role in early spring ecosystems, providing nectar and pollen for early emerging pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, flies, and beetles, which may have limited food sources during this time. They also improve the soil structure and enrich the soil’s fertility, adding nutrients and organic matter back into the soil when they decompose. Due to co- evolution, many of these native spring wildflowers have developed special relationships with the companions in their community.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of my favorite ephemerals:
Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, are perennial plants in the barberry family that emerge in damp woodland in early spring as a single stem about 12 inches in height with leaves folded into spirals. The leaves unfurl to expand into a deeply palmately lobed umbrella shape. They spread by rhizomes as well as seeds and can form large colonies.
Mayapples have two forms: a single leaf at the top of the stalk; and a stalk with two leaves branching off at about three quarters of the height. Only the double-leaf plants produce a single white flower that remains hidden under the leaf canopy. A pollinated flower will produce a yellow-green fruit about the size of a small apple. The common name for mayapples comes from the flowers that are reminiscent of apple blossoms and the apple-like fruit. The ripe yellow fruit is the only edible part of the plant; the root, stem, foliage (and unripe fruit) contains toxins to deter herbivores. (We do not recommend eating wild plants without proper training and identification.)
The consumption of mayapple fruits by turtles is an example of a mutualistic interaction, benefiting both species involved. Turtles, of course, obtain a source of food, while mayapple plants benefit from seed dispersal services in soil that has been enhanced by the turtles’ waste. Since turtles can travel some distance from the parent plant, they aid in the colonization of new areas and genetic diversity within mayapple populations.
Spring beauty, Claytonia virginica, is one of the first flowers to appear in early spring. They are members of the Purslane family and have narrow, lance-shaped leaves with a solitary stalk up to six inches tall bearing small, delicate flowers that have five white petals with pink veins. Preferring moist part-shade, they grow happily in woodlands, meadows, and along stream banks. If allowed to grow, they will form a colony resulting in a large, lovely carpet of pink-white flowers blooming for about a month in April to May.
Like many ephemeral wildflowers, the spring beauty plant closes its flowers at night in a process known as nyctinasty to protect its precious delicate pollen from cold and wetness and, since pollinating insects are mostly foraging during the daylight hours, there’s no benefit in staying open. The dry pollen is much more easily transferred to the stigmas on other flowers for successful pollination. While many bees and butterflies will pollinate the spring beauty flowers, its pollen and nectar are the only provisions that the small spring beauty mining bee, Andrena erigeniae, will collect to raise her young. Spring beauties take nyctinasty to an elevated level, closing in mid- afternoon and only opening again mid-morning (or remaining closed on cloudy days), so this busy little bee needs to work extra hard during her banker’s hours to forage for her nest provisions. Ripe seeds of the spring beauty are ejected up to four feet away from the mother plant, but the real dispersal to new areas is carried out by ants.
The trout lily, Erythronium americanum, is a perennial in the lily family. Non-flowering plants have a single lanceolate leaf about six inches long that is gray-green mottled with brown and thought to resemble the markings of our native brook trout moving through water. The flowering plants have two leaves and a slightly taller stalk with a nodding yellow flower. Like all lilies, the flower has six tepals, a term used when the petals and sepals are the same color, shape, and size; technically, lilies only have three petals.
Although trout lilies can form dense colonies through small bulbs called “droppers” budding from the main corm, they do not propagate readily from seed. The plant does not flower for about the first seven years and most of the plants in a colony will not bloom at all. The flowers of the trout lily produce the pollen that attracts the trout lily mining bee, Andrena erythroni.
For a colony to expand its range, trout lilies attract ants to disperse the seeds. What is it with these ants, anyway? Many early blooming ephemerals have developed seeds with a structure called an elaiosome (uh-LIGH-uh-sohm), which is a protein-rich, lipid-packed appendage specifically for attracting ants. The ants drag the seeds off to their colony where they will feed on elaiosomes, then ditch the seed in their trash pile nearby, planting the seed in a new location with plenty of nutrients to aid its growth.
Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginica, are in the borage family, also called the forget-me-nots. They can grow up to two feet tall with large, rounded leaves and nodding flower clusters on arched stems. Pink flower buds open to bell-shaped flowers that are a beautiful blue. Like most of the ephemerals, bluebells grow best in rich, moist soil. Bluebells also tend to form large colonies in the woods or along the forest edge rather than isolated plants. They are especially attractive to long-tongued bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
You will often find Virginia bluebells growing with oak trees; the oaks are usually the last trees to leaf out in spring, giving the ephemeral a little longer to develop its seeds in the dappled sun before going dormant again in early summer.
These are just a few of the spring ephemeral wildflowers that play such a vital role in maintaining ecosystem function, supporting biodiversity, and enriching the natural world. They face several risks that impact their populations, such as habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, over collection and illegal harvesting, pollution, and climate change. Protecting and conserving these species is essential for the health and resilience of ecosystems and the well-being of both wildlife and humans. Strategies to conserve spring ephemeral wildflowers include habitat restoration, invasive species management, and public education.
Try to find some time to enjoy a casual walk along a path in the woods this spring and delight in the sights and smells of these precious plants during their brief visit.
By: Sara Yosua, Master Gardener in Baltimore County. Sara also writes articles for her county’s Master Gardener newsletter, which gets published monthly. Find more articles or subscribe on their web page.
