Spring is an incredible time here in LC Nature Park! By the first of May the spring ephemeral display in the woods is at its peak. Our woods are home to a large number of ephemeral species that are only around for a few weeks in early spring and a few others that, although not flowering, stick around well into the fall. 

One of the first to show up through the detritus of last year is Spring Beauty. Not long after that comes Bloodroot, the Trout Lilies (we host both the white and the yellow), Cutleaf Toothwort, Dutchman’s Breeches, and Mayapples. Another that holds a significant place in the Park is the Trilliums. The woods of LC Nature Park is home to Prairie Trillium, whose primary habitat is in the woods for some reason, and the most striking of the spring ephemerals, Great White Flowered Trillium (see above photo). Just outside of Trillium Tent is a display of Great White Flowered Trillium that covers that entire section of the sand dune. 

One really interesting thing about several of these species is their mode of seed dispersal. It is a method called myrmecochory, which is seed dispersal by ants. For example, Bloodroot, the Trout Lilys, Dutchman’s Breeches, and the Trilliums all have a fleshy structure attached to the seed called an elaiosome. Ants are attracted to the elaiosome as a source of food, which is rich in fats and protein. They will take the elaiosome, which is attached to the seed, back to their nest for the ant larvae to consume. When they are done with their meal the seed is now sown and could germinate into a new plant, potentially some distance from the original plant.

Isn’t nature great!?  🐜