LEWISBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia woodlands burst into color in spring. During that brief period, wildflowers put on a colorful show, attracting bees and butterflies before the trees leaf out and the sunlight dims.
Native plant specialist Barry Glick has identified the five early-blooming wildflowers common along woodland trails. While their presence is fleeting, they play an essential ecological role in supporting pollinators and contributing to the forest's biodiversity.
"The native wildflowers we are blessed to have in abundance in this botanical paradise serve as far more than eye candy for us humans," Glick says.
"As well as producing berries and seeds for wildlife, they're an early source of nectar and pollen for all of the beneficial insects we co-exist with."
Glick says the following flowers are those you'll likely find blossoming on trails across the state in the warmer lowlands in March, where the trees leaf out first, and in the colder uplands in May, where they leaf out later.
Virginia Bluebells
Glick says some of the earliest wildflowers are Mertensia virginica, commonly known as “Virginia Bluebell” because they have blue campanulate (bell-shaped) flowers.
"They are extremely ephemeral, meaning that they poke through in late February and early March, show off their lovely flowers, then produce and disperse their seed and die back to make room for other plants like Polystichum acrostichoides, “Christmas Ferns” which start unfurling their new fronds about the time that the Mertensia is retreating."
Bloodroot
Glick says Sanguinaria canadensis, or “bloodroot,” flowers blossom brightly soon after winter, and its blossoms last a long time.
"If you dig up a rhizome of this beautiful plant and snap it in half, it will exude a red substance the color of blood, hence the name 'sanguinaria,' an extension of the word sanguine, the Latin name for "blood" or blood-like."
"You’ll find it growing happily on roadbanks, enjoying the dappled sunlight in well-drained soil. The large, white, multi-petaled flowers it sports are long-lasting." Native Americans used the red pigment for skin paint and wound healing.
Trout Lily
Blossoming bright yellow, Erythronium americanum, or Trout Lily, is highly conspicuous in forests throughout the eastern U.S., Glick says, using one of several familiar names to describe its flower.
"Erythronium americanum has three common names — “Trout Lily” because its spotted foliage resembles the coloration of a rainbow trout, “Adder's Tongue” because its flower tips resemble the tongue of a snake, and “Dog Tooth Violet” because the shape of the flower resembles the fangs of a canine."
"The scientific name of its West Coast counterpart is Erythronium dens canis — 'dens' for tooth and 'canis' for dog."
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Arisaema triphyllum, best known as “Jack-in-the-pulpit,” is in the same family as tapioca and the houseplant philodendron, Glick says. It gets its name from its unique appearance, which resembles a preacher standing in a pulpit. The "pulpit" is formed by the plant's hood-like structure, called a spathe.
Like many wildflowers, the plant, if eaten, will numb the mouth, he says.
"Many aroids contain oxalic acid crystals, and when you bite into one of these plants, the crystals burn your tongue so badly that you can’t speak for a while.
"A popular houseplant in this family, Dieffenbachia carries the common name of 'dumb cane' because when you bite into the stem, the effect is so numbing that you can’t speak."
Trillium
Found in its greatest variety in the Appalachian Mountains, trillium is a favorite of wildflower fans and blossoms in brilliant color on the forest floor.
"If I had to answer the question, 'What is most folk’s favorite wildflower?' it would have to be trilliums, with “Virginia Bluebells” a close second.
"Here in the Greenbrier Valley, we have six species of trillium, the most ubiquitous being Trillium grandiflorum, and there couldn’t be a better example of the phrase, “The name says it all” as it is a grand plant!"
The “tri-” in the name alludes to the fact that it has three of each part of the flower. "Trillium grandiflorum flowers are pure, icy white and age slowly to a dreamy soft pink."
Barry Glick's mountaintop garden and nursery attract gardeners from every country. He writes and lectures extensively about native plants and hellebores and welcomes visitors with advance notice. He can be reached at barry@sunfarm.com, Sunfarm.com, or 304-497-2208.
