Spring Wildflowers! My sister Marie and I had an adventure at Aman Park on April 16 2021. It started around 9:40am, it was cold, 38 degrees, and cloudy. We spent five hours meandering along Sand Creek, we sat a few times, pretty much identified a certain buttercup, I took pictures and Marie took notes.
By the time we got back to the car, it was sunny with a blue sky and temps up to 60 degrees. I would have guessed we were out there 2 hours but I was wearing a watch and it said 5 hours and 10 minutes. We had walked two miles. Wow!
I think she settled on Early Buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis). Maybe, actually I don't remember now... only one day later.
Trout Lily was closed up tight.
Bloodroot was done blooming. We saw only a few hepatica blooming.
We started seeing a few patches of blue sky. Some flowers will only open if it is sunny or at least bright. Some don't seem to mind about the brightness, like the buttercups.
This is Dutchman's Breeches just starting to flower, later we saw more and they were fully blooming.
Spring Beauty started to react to the warmth and sunlight! Some of the Spring Beauty were almost white and right next to them were these very pink ones.
Trout Lily lifting their heads
I wasn't sure the trillium would be blooming yet, they usually bloom more around the end of April or early May. We had seen a few along the way but not actually blooming. Then we saw them!
Virginia Bluebells were just barely blooming
I would say we have several more weeks to see these blooming. We are having more cold weather for another week or so but as long as they don't hard freeze they should be okay. I really think they just started blooming recently.
It was a perfect spring day. I am so glad we got to spend the day outside. I hope you enjoyed the day too.
What a beautiful place. You're so lucky to have it!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when you said what you thought was two hours was really five. That happens to me a lot!
The trilliums are so beautiful. It's probably a good thing that I can't get there, because I'd never want to leave. I saw some in a garden once and they're one of the most beautiful flowers I've seen. Thanks for taking the time to show them to us. I can't speak for anyone else but I appreciate the effort and I look forward to your Aman Park posts all year long!
Thanks Allen. About 95% of the reason I did that post is because I know how much you like to see the trillium. Really they weren’t even at their prime, only just opening. Snow is forecast for Tuesday night, hopefully they won’t be too bothered by that.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure there will be one more trip to see the trillium at Aman, and maybe another trip to Dowagiac Woods. Aman Park is about 25 miles from home sometimes it just doesn’t work out to get there.
Today we planted 260 Red Bud trees at our brother’s Happy Day Acres, after we worked then they fed us. Another beautiful spring day!
Looks like a great trip!😀👍🏻
ReplyDeleteThose redbuds should be beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for going so far out of your way to get these photos. I'm sure anyone who visits your blog will love seeing them. It's such a special thing that can't be seen just anywhere.
To Big Brother who is really my big brother!
ReplyDeleteMarie and I do have fun in the woods!
🙂
New Hampshire Gardener
ReplyDeleteWhy is it fun every year to go to these places and take pictures of the same flowers sometimes the same exact plant? I haven’t figured that out. I have lots of trillium pictures from years past. Yet I still like to take more pictures.
The Red Buds should do good. We get careful instructions on how to plant trees every time we plant trees. The ground is marked where the trees are to be planted. Very well organized, and fun. Mike was on the dibble and I would plant the tree. We had lots of help so it went fast.
Those five hours went too fast. I don't remember which buttercup it was either. Ha! My notes only say that it had long, oblong petals. Buttercups are too variable and it's hard to count their chromosomes out in the woods. Sepals recurved? On the same flower, half were and half weren't! Hmmm. It might be Hispid Buttercup, but there is a variety and who wants to get into that? It was a beautiful wildflower perched above Sand Creek. Let's call it Sand Creek Buttercup!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the thousands of wildflowers we saw. Anemones of all kinds waving in the breeze. Trout Lily stars waiting for some warmth. Purple Cress were delightful in their bell shape. Virginia Bluebells (always plural like Cleavers!) with their trumpet shape, blue and pink. The Blue Cohosh flower is so cool being green. The shockingly blue of that one berry on a dried cohosh! Never tire of the pink anthers of Spring Beauty. Those white trilliums just opening up to the sun and following every hill and dale. How did Dutchman's Breeches ever develop such an odd shape? We tasted the sharpness of the Wild Leek leaves. The kaleidoscope pattern inside the Wild Ginger blossom. You even found a brand-new Mitrewort coming up with its distinctive pair of leaves!
And the trees! Sycamores in white skin. Blue Beech catkins. Pawpaw buds, dark and hairy, ready to burst open. You identified a bare Bladdernut! Maple-leaved Viburnum leaves bursting. Boxelder leaves telling us what it was. Spicebush lending its yellowness to the woods and Redbud its red. We saw the untidy Shad blooming beautifully. Witch Hazel flowers have faded and are bowing out of the limelight. That special spring green of the Norway Maple flowers against the blue sky. We recognized a bare Flowering Dogwood by its uniquely shaped bud. You found a Bitternut Hickory bud by its color.
Yes, five hours of delight! Thank you for all the times you get up and down to take a picture! M :)
Anonymous, Really we saw all of those things! In the post I only covered half of what we saw! And yet as I read your comment I remember each thing you mentioned. We amaze me! Ha ha. I didn’t mention the new bridge either, yes we did walk on it, I didn’t take a picture of it. We came up to it from the path that we take to see extra Dutchman’s Breeches and PawPaw. We crossed the new bridge then turned to walk along “our” trail at the bottom of the hill where we see so many more flowers. Next time we can take the north part of blue trail, that should only take, oh I’d say 4 hours!
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures of the park. Which part of the park had trillium? I want to take my 93 year old mother to see them, but it would be better to know approximately where the trillium are so that we won't have to wander through the whole park. I can't keep up with her. :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I would suggest drive to the last parking area, farthest from M-45. Then walk north to the trail. The trail splits after a gate, stay on the main trail which continues north then through some woods, down a hill . At this point you are heading west, there are two bridges to cross.
ReplyDeleteThen you should see Virginia Bluebells on both sides of the trail. Continue on the main trail and you will see the best display of trillium.
So basically park, walk north, veer west on the main trail, down a hill, over two bridges, and you will see the trillium. There is trillium before this spot, and trillium throughout the park.
I hope this helps!
Hi Chris, my mother and I thank you for your excellent directions to the Virginia Bluebells and the best display of trillium. It was a great walk, and my mother was so thrilled to see all of the flowers and finally get out of the house in safe way. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteJane
You are welcome Jane. I’m glad you found them. My sister and I were there again yesterday, I thought the trillium were more open than last Friday. I think the Virginia Bluebells have another week before they all fully open. It was a pretty day there yesterday!
ReplyDeleteChris
Nice pictures! I used to enjoy riding bikes in Aman park, never paid too much attention to the flowers though, other than to think they were pretty
ReplyDelete