A Great Rainy Day

Snow Trillium

Hepatica

Harbinger of Spring

While it was not necessarily a beautiful day, it was a wonderful day today.  I made a trip to Adams County, Ohio in the rain to hunt for Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale).  I would have loved to have ridden the motorcycle down, but I hate riding in the rain, and that was the name of the game today, never ending rain!

In many years of hunting wildflowers throughout the country, I had never observed Snow Trillium.  Birders and butterfliers usually refer to a previously unobserved species as a "Lifer".  I have never heard plant people use that term, but if they did, or do, then I could declare I got a Lifer today!  Facebook friend Andrew Gibson was nice enough to give me great directions and finding the elusive, white-flowered beauty was a piece of cake!  It is found in only a handful of counties in Ohio, and only two counties that qualify as Appalachia, which is my regional focus this year.

Along with the Trillium, I found Hepatica nobilis trying hard to bloom in the yucky rainy weather.  Hepatica is pretty common in my part of the world in southeast Ohio, but it was nice to get it on the record so early.  Also found Harbinger of Spring (Erigenia bulbosa) blooming in the flood plain of the small creek which the limestone ridge that held the Trillium overlooked.  I knew Erigenia would be blooming soon, as it is one of the first of the spring ephemerals, but I figured I would just go to The Ridges in Athens as I know where it grows there.  Once again, another good one to get in the books early.

I reckon the next species to keep an eye out for will be Coltsfoot, another early bloomer.  Then Rue Anemone, Trout Lily, and other Trilliums will be popping.  April will be a busy month!

Things are picking up!

Snowdrops, growing on a hillside along Clear Creek Road, west of the Metro Park.

Hazelnut

Lake Ramona on the west end of Clear Creek Metro Park

Covered bridge at the intersection of Thompson Road and Clear Creek Road in southern Fairfield County, Ohio.

Today was the best day of the One Thousand Flowers project so far.  I added four new species to the list including: Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis), Hazelnut (Corylus americana), Common Alder (Alnus serrulata), and Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana).  Hazelnut is common along the length of Clear Creek Road in southern Fairfield County, as is Witchhazel. 

Alder is common at Lake Ramona pictured above.  The alder was a bit of a surprise.  I was not expecting it to be in bloom so early.  As a family we have visited Lake Ramona many times, to hike or go fishing.  My son once caught a very nice Largemouth Bass fishing off the dam.  There are two docks at the lake, one is accessible from Clear Creak Road, the other from a picnic area above Lake Ramona.  Below Lake Ramona I found one Skunk Cabbage still in bloom.  This was a little surprising in that this one bloom was all that could be seen of the Skunk Cabbage.  I remember the Skunk Cabbage at Lake Ramona to be far more common than that.

I observed my first butterflies of the year today as well.  A Question Mark was basking in the trail, not far from the Skunk Cabbage, and then a Mourning Cloak was playing chicken with cars along Clear Creek Road where I had parked the motorcycle.  Felt good to be back on the bike!

The covered bridge above is at the intersection of Clear Creek Road and Thompson Road.  I parked the bike at the bridge and walked to the hillside covered in Snowdrops.  While Snowdrops are not native, they have obviously naturalized (and multiplied) to the site and therefore are fair game for the One Thousand Flowers project. 

I am glad that flower activity is beginning to pick up.  I now have ten species for the year.  Next Monday, I hope to be in Adams County hunting for Snow Trilliums!