Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum)
One of these days I’ll stop posting pictures of Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum), but they’re just too pretty not to… Twan Leenders RTPI President
Read MoreFringed Polygala (Polygala paucifolia)
RTPI President Twan Leenders was looking for native orchids recently in the Allegheny National Forest, but it turned out he was just a little too early for them to bloom. However, he did come across one of his favorite spring ephemerals – Fringed Polygala (Polygala paucifolia) which is somewhat orchid-like in its unusual appearance. Photographed for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project.
Read MoreCabbage White
The Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) is a non-native “pest” butterfly species, and here you can see it is feeding on a Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), a non-native weed…but you know what, the ship has sailed on trying to solve that problem. I realize that is easy for me to say because I am not employed in agriculture. However, we are not going to wake up tomorrow and eliminate these species from North America. Even if we were to try it would be terribly harmful, and in the case of the dandelion we would be pumping even more toxic chemicals into our environment – as...
Read MoreDandelion Feast
The dandelion is one of the most widespread and widely known flowering plants there is, and while they may not be the best for agriculture or maintaining the “perfect” manicured lawn, they are very helpful for our early pollinators. Undoubtedly you have seen bees, butterflies and other flying insects feeding on them when there is little else blooming. Here’s to them! Besides, they’re pretty little things once you stop thinking about making the grass look “neat” and “tidy”. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreTrout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
With trees just beginning to bud, sunlight has been able to penetrate to the forest floor, providing light for many early spring wildflowers to bloom. One such wildflower that can be seen during this time of the year is the Trout lily (Erythronium americanum). These little lilies are easily recognized by their mottled leaves, which gives the flower their name as the markings on the leaves look like the markings of brook trout, and their bright yellow flowers. Interestingly, these flowers form colonies that can completely coat a forest floor and the colonies themselves may be hundreds of...
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