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PHEMERALS According to the dictionary, epheremal (i fem' ur ul, adj.) means lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood. lasting but a few days: an ephemeral flower. If you've been walking in the woods in our region over the last month, you're sure to have seen some of the wildflowers we call "spring ephemerals." Those indigenous to the Ottawa region include Bloodroot, Dutchman's Breeches, Trilliums, Spring Beauty, Hepatica, Toothwort, Wild Ginger, and Trout Lilies. They grow for only a short while, blooming before the trees leaf out and the forest canopy closes over them, starving them of light. Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum) are one of the dozen or so "true spring ephemerals," which are spring wildflowers that appear very early in the year, then bloom and fade away before spring has even moved into summer. By the end of May, you might not find even a trace of these plants. Trout Lilies are also called Dogtooth Violets or Yellow Adder's tongues, but the mottled leaves are reminiscent of a trout. They are frequently found next to streams, but will also grow on drier soil if there is underground water available. These attractive members of the lily family grow from 3" to 7" high, and are extremely colonial. They spread prolifically by sending out underground runners. Often you will find a large patch of Trout Lilies with only a few mature, blooming adults — the rest are single-leaved "juveniles." Hepatica is yet another of the early spring wildflowers with white flowers, composed of sepals rather than petals. Two species grow in our area, the difference being mostly in the shape of the leaves. Hepatica americana has rounded leaves with shallow clefts, while H. acutiloba leaves are more deeply cleft, with sharper points. Both have white flowers with a pinkish or bluish tinge. You can distinguish Hepaticas from other white spring flowers easily because the blooms (and the leaves) are on their own stalks springing directly from the center of the plant, the flower stalks are covered in fine hairs, and the leaves are distinctly leathery. You may even see the flowers open before the leaves have had a chance to unroll. The three-lobed leaves, plus their leathery appearace and texture, gave rise to both the common name, Liverleaf, and the scientific name, Hepatica, which means liver-like in Latin. Jack-in-the-Pulpit Fair is the canopy over him seen Pencilled by nature's hand, black, brown and green Green is his surplice, green are his bands, In his queer little pulpit the little priest stands — Anonymous Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is named for its unusual green flower, a 3-inch-long finger-like spadix called the Jack, standing erect within the arching, hooded pulpit, a leaflike spathe sometimes striped with red, purple, brown or white. The actual flowers cluster inconspicuously around the base of the Jack. The leaves are 4 to 6 inches long, spring in groups of three from a tall stem, stand 1 to 3 feet high, and shade the blooms like an umbrella. In late summer or fall the flowers ripen into packed clusters of bright red berries, each up to 1/2 inch in diameter. This page was revised on 21 April 2009 Text: Dave Moore, OFNC © Fletcher Wildlife Garden Our e-mail address