Hepatica Hill never disappoints!
It was a cool yet sunny day. A great day to be outside. We did see a few Hepatica sort of blooming. The plants were curled up against the cold, but still catching some of that warm sunshine. They grow on this south facing hill along the Kalamazoo River.
We also drove along 133rd Avenue, nothing blooming there, yet.
Then a stop at New Richmond Bridge Park and a walk.
10 comments:
I love "coming" along on your walks in the woods! :) It is nice to see that Spring is on its way! :)
Thank you, Sister in the Mid-west. Yes, I'm sure spring is on its way. The flowers are a bit slower than last year, but every year is different. I am glad my sister took me to see the Hepatica, we always seem to have a good time on our adventures.
Your photos shows how these plants deal with the cold. Hairy coats and curling up, like you said. To think that the sunny slope on 133rd is only six miles northwest of Hepatica Hill. What a difference. New Richmond is always fun, remembering driving over the one-lane bridge. Thanks again for a fun day outside. M :)
Thanks, M. Our other sister signed up as a follower! This post was very short. I could do better. As you know I’m doing things differently now and it is not easy. Where are we going next?
I don't know how I missed this!
You're so lucky to have hepatica. They're very cute with their fur coats!
Allen, I just put this out quick yesterday, it’s a little short. Those hepatica are so great to see, they are my favorites. I didn’t want my first sighting of them to go undocumented. Last year we saw hepatica on that hill a week earlier fully blooming.
It is so exciting to go to this place, walk around the hill to see if they are blooming! It is a quiet out of the way place that another blogger told me about several years ago.
We had hepatica in the lawn/ yard when we were growing up. We would eat the petals, or sepals of the hepatica. I’m not sure why. Hepatica grew all through the woods where I grew up which is only 3 miles from where we live now. Yet here in our woods there were no hepatica!
I brought some from my parents house years ago, those groups of hepatica still comes up and it is a deeper purple blue than any other that I have planted.
That’s another thing. The different colors of the sepals, from dark purple blue, to pink, to white! I never have figured that out. Why the different colors?
According to my wildflower book hepatica grows in New Hampshire, but you don’t see it?
I wonder why.
Thanks for stopping by.
Hepatica likes a lot of lime in the soil I think, and there is a town north of here where it grows. I went to see it just once but it grows on private property so I can't go there any time I want. I'd like to find a place or a trail in that town where I can just walk and look. I'll have to do some online research.
You're lucky to have them. They're very pretty, and so early!
So if the soil has more lime it is less acidic and more alkaline. I’ll have to remember that.
My dad use to burn leaves and the hepatica would grow in those spots, but they would also grow in the woods, with no ashes.
In some places hepatica will grow in a ring around tree, the tree is an oak and looks healthy.
We see hepatica in very wet areas, sometimes in dry woods. I’m just curious why they choose these places to grow.
I hope you fine some that are easy to visit! They are pretty and special.
Spring ephemerals have a short life span, as I'm sure you know. That's why they can live under leaf bearing trees. They get all the sunshine they need before the leaves come out on the trees and when the leaves do come out they're gone.
Lime in the soil attracts many plants like rose moss, for instance, and even some orchids. When you see rose moss you can bet there is lime in the soil and, if you know what other plants like lime in the soil you go and look for them.
In my area we have very acidic soil with lots of white pine and eastern hemlock. Spring plants that like (or don't mind) acid soil are things like red trillium, coltsfoot, trout lilies, false hellebore and even ramps.
And spring beauties. I found one blooming today, earlier than I've ever seen!
Thanks Allen for the information on the soils, maybe I could test the soil PH. It sure does make you think! Why does that plant decide to grow there or over there.
You found a Spring Beauty blooming, lucky you! It has been snowing here in Michigan, we have about 3 inches of wet heavy snow on the ground right now.
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