April And May Flowers Are Fun To Watch It's amazing how early in spring the bloodroots poke up through the layer of last year's leaves and quickly come into bloom. There was a wildflower in bud that momentarily threw me for a loop this morning. It wasn’t until shortly after, when I saw the same species but this time about four or five inches tall, that I recognized it as meadow rue. In another three or four weeks it will be in full flower. What a wonderfully long period it undergoes, from the first hint of green coming out of the ground until it reaches its peak of flowering. Plants in bud, whether they be wildflowers, shrubs or trees can be very intriguing. One of the largest wintering buds I know of in our area is that of the red-berried elder. Now they’re beginning to open and reveal in very miniature form what eventually will be gorgeous large white composite flowers followed by showy inedible clusters of small bright red fruit. No other season of the year, in our estimation, comes even close to the exciting time of April and May with its gradual emergence of especially wildflowers. It’s our favorite parade of the year, the annual parade of wildflowers. What comes as a surprise to many people is that in some years this fascinating spectacle can last, from start to finish, as long as seven months. Invariably the first to appear in the majority of northeastern Wisconsin woods is the hepatica, member of the buttercup family, often in bloom by April first. Fortunately these so-called "Mayflowers" have a long blossoming period lasting up to four or five weeks in some woods having both warm and cool areas. The small poppy family produces what in many years is the number two wildflower in the flowering sequence of this area, the bloodroot, closely followed by the spring beauty of the purslane family. Several days later out come the trout or fawn lilies, frequently called dogtooth violets, genuine lilies and not violets at all. The large lily family is well represented in eastern Wisconsin. Take my word – many of the inland warmer woods on Mother’s Day this year, May 9, will be beautifully decorated with that great favorite, the large or giant trillium, Trillium grandiflorum – and what a grand flower it is! Appearing at the same time as the trilliums, but not commanding nearly as much attention, is the bellwort. Its long slender yellow blossoms droop downward and appear to modestly hide while other more showy wildflowers attract one’s attention. About the only insects regularly flying at this early season capable of pollinating these long dangling blossoms are the female bumblebees. One of the most interesting of all members of the lily family, soon to blossom in the warm hardwoods away from the cold reaches of Lake Michigan is in a sense a maverick. The Canada mayflower, or wild lily of the valley is one of the few, if not the only member, of the lily family to have its flowers in parts of four instead of the usual threes or sixes. A four-parted lily is indeed a rarity. Ordinarily one does not think of the iris family producing flowers in the wild in spring, but there is one spectacular member of this rather small family that frequently is producing blossoms as early as mid-May some years, the very rare, federally threatened, lake iris. Another of its commonly used names, which I don’t like and never use, is the dwarf lake iris. Its species name, Lacustris (la-CUS-tris), means "of the lake." Yes, they are tiny. Expect to find some plants in full bloom that are only two inches tall. The edges of woods near cold calcareous, or limy, shores are the habitats of this unusually beautiful little blue iris. Many swamps, wet roadsides and stream banks will soon be adorned with an old favorite of the large buttercup family, the yellow five-petaled cowslip, also known as the marsh marigold. I hope you are fortunate to have one of the fascinating and favorite perennial wildflowers of our state to watch as it gradually develops, the Jack In The Pulpit, member of the small calla family. People in the Lake Winnebago area and west are also lucky to have its cousin, the green dragon, Arisaema dracontium. Both species have a rather long mysterious flower formation whereby the first stages of its bud and leaf development don’t in the slightest resemble the "finished product." It won’t be long before some of the most widely known and admired of all wildflowers will be in bloom, the violets. What a fine group of common flowers to challenge yourself into learning well; the various colors, long-spurred, short-spurred, bearded, smooth, those having leafy stems and those without. Bear in mind that "Roses are red, violets are blue and white and yellow and purple too!" Challenge yourself to study and enjoy individual wildflowers as they emerge and develop from day to day, from the first green sprout to the finished blossom. With digital photography becoming easier by the day, including its "macro" capabilities of allowing one to take images from only inches away, this is an ideal way to fully enjoy and appreciate the great intricacies and beauty of our native wildflowers. The band has begun. Get in step and join the parade! This column appeared in the Door County Advocate on 04/24/2004. © Copyright 2004 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.