Sunday, April 20, 2008

The bloodroot is up...and the trout lilies are blooming too!

Before Stephanie's mother passed away we took a clump of bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and transplanted it here at the house. Fitting, as Stephanie's grandmother planted the S. canadensis at Stephanie's house before she was born in the late 50s. This little clump of bloodroot is over 50 years old. Cool. Notice again that a cool plant is named for Canada. Does that mean Rosie is a Homo canadensis?


Also fully emerged and starting to blossom is the patch of Trout Lilies (Erythronium albidum). Just a few lilies, about 3/4 of an inch across, and just as lovely as last year. The patch has spread and is moving back toward the lot line into the creek behind the house. I am keeping the garlic mustard under control as best I can, given I have a neighbor on the other side of the creek who is a misanthropic radical socialist who does nothing to his yard to control that stuff. Now I am decidedly a low-maintenance yard guy. I believe in entropic yard maintenance. That said, I do my best to keep invasive species under control. We love our neighbors on both sides, and they love us. Colonel Garlic Mustard...well...into each life a little acid rain must fall.

I grew up in California, which has no significant markers to notify one of the changing of seasons. In California, there is a Green Season (2 months) and Brown Season (10 months). That's about it. What I love so much about Southern Wisconsin are the multiple markers of micro-seasons. The first nuthatches honking on the silver maples, the first sign of a redbud blooming, the robins building nests, the box elder bugs congregating in warm spots on the east side of the house...and best of all, the spring ephemerals.

We live in paradise, folks. At least it feels that way today.

1 comment:

Rosie said...

Well, up here on a hike yesterday I saw what looked like a tiny unfurling strawberry runner but I think I hallucinated it. But then my leg sank through the ice bank on the trail and I KNEW it was spring.

Although I have to agree that seeing lilies in mid-April rocks.

H. canadensis