Where are all the wildflowers!?

I always love a walk in the woods in May, when the trilliums, violets, spring beauty, and other wildflowers are in bloom. So when May arrived, after the bloodroot bloomed, I started walking the farther corners of Hanlon Creek to watch for wildflowers in the deciduous woods.
May apple.

I was surprised to find virtually none. Although there were plentiful leeks in the northeast woods, I found no other flowers. And in the southwest I found only May apple - nice to see, but not as nice as a woods carpeted with trilliums. In fact, the southwest woods was carpeted with a green woodland sedge, a plant that looks like a short grass in the forest.
Woodland sedge carpeting the forest.

I can only speculate that past grazing has eliminated the wildflowers in Hanlon Creek, and left us with a nice woods to walk through, but one that doesn't have the normal diversity of native species.

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard is becoming one of the most troublesome invasive plants in our deciduous woodlands. It establishes easily, spreads quickly, and is very hard to eradicate once it gets a foothold in the forest habitat. The problem is that it competes with native wildflowers, which decline in favour of this aggressive, non-natural weed.

Much to my dismay I found first a small patch, and then later a large, healthy patch, growing along the trails of Hanlon Creek. Both were just south of the Preservation Park entrance off Kortright Ave. Perhaps the city and conservation authority should consider controlling it now before it spreads too far.

It is best dealth with by pulling the plants in late spring, when they have started to bloom (to help you recognize them), but before they set seed. Of course you have to recognize them to be able to do this, but fortunately, it's distinctive leaves and overall appearance when in flower make it easy to do this.

Catching Up!

Well, it's long past the time when I should have updated this. Four months have gone by, and life has just kept me far too busy. But I do have some notes and pictures, and will try to update a bit retroactively.

What I remember most over the summer (besides the uncomfortably hot weather), are the deer. It seemed they were almost always outside our door, grazing in the meadow. Morning, noon and evening we could look out and see anywhere from 2 or 3 to 6 or 8 working their way slowly out of the trees and across the grass. I will dig up some pictures to post.

Bloodroot

Soon after the leek carpet the forest floor in mid to late April, the bloodroot appear, thrusting their white flower up through their curled leaves. The leaf uncurls and is held flat, in an unusual shape said to resemble a hand. I've only found one patch of bloodroot in the entire Hanlon Creek area, and that is right alongside of the trail.

Falling Behind!!!

Wow, am I ever falling behind on this blog! Spring is too busy; I'd rather be out there walking and watching than blogging about it!
Leek are the first green plants to carpet the forest, appearing in wide patches in the deciduous forest near the Preservation Park entrance, looking almost fluorescent green when they first grow.

Leek are one of the most unusual spring wildflowers, in that the flower itself doesn't appear until fall, long after the leaves have died and disappeared. Some people gather leek to eat, like mild onions, but I think this is inappropriate in an urban, heavily used park like this. If many people do that the leek will disappear!

Spring Wildflowers

Sweet Coltsfoot, the first spring flower in the meadow, is in bloom. Always a beautiful tiny (less than an inch across) sign of warm weather to come.

Coltsfoot is only a weed, sometimes a slightly invasive weed, more often recognized by it's large green patches of leaves in the summer. When it blooms none of the leaves are visible.

But it's the first of a bunch of beautiful spring wildflowers that will be up in the coming weeks - Hepatica, Trilliums, Bloodroot, Leek and many others. Early May is the best single time of the year for a walk in the woods.

Spring Peepers

I can't believe it, but spring peepers are calling from the small marshes in Hanlon Creek. And if you listen carefully, you'll hear the wood frogs too.

Spring peepers just call a strong, loud peep ... peep ... peep, while wood frogs sound like a hidden flock of gabbling ducks - you'd actually swear that they were ducks chattering to each other, until you see the wetland and there are no ducks, but the sound is still coming.

They're especially loud on warm evenings, and they're certainly a few days early this year, thanks to the high temperature. Both species like a marsh with shallow water and 'emergent' vegetation like bulrushes that they can climb up on, and won't be heard much around deeper ponds. But it's the biggest welcoming sound of spring to me.