The Race Has Begun by Josh Palumbo, Forest Management Coordinator.
They are coming! They are most certainly coming! Most years I can patiently wait for winter to change into spring, but this year is a bit of an exception. A month laden suffering under the great ice sheet of 2026 followed by a freak snowfall that saw Wintergreen atop the Commonwealth snowfall totals has left me yearning for color in our landscape. A burst of lovely warm sunshine has officially started the race of the ephemerals. This edition of the Nine Minute Naturalist will delve into the wonder of spring ephemerals at Wintergreen.
The race is all about the wonderful rays of sunshine available in the spring. The period when days are getting longer and temperatures are raising the soil temperature is the window of time that spring ephemerals thrive. The word ephemeral means for a very short period of time. The growing window is small, so the plants had better take advantage of growing conditions if they want to win the race. The ephemerals competitor in this race for sunlight are trees. Being much closer to the sun, leaf out changes available sunlight drastically. Spring ephemerals need to emerge, bloom, and set seed before the sunlight availability is detrimental to growth and they lose the race.
Wintergreen is home to a diverse spectrum of ephemerals throughout the elevation changes from the bottom of Stoney Creek to the top of Devils Knob. Here are a few of my favorite species of ephemerals and where you can find them.
One of my favorite early spring bloomers is trout lily. Great name for a lovely plant. The leaves are mottled similar to the body of a trout and tend to blanket the forest floor. The flower is a beautiful pale yellow and opens and closes in the morning and evening of each day. The best trail to find these special flowers is the Allen Creek Nature Preserve. They usually emerge in the beginning of March and begin flowering within the same month.
Another yellow flowered ephemeral that tops my rankings is the marsh marigold. As the name suggests, it prefers a life lived in damp to wet soils. They emerge with glossy green foliage and quickly bloom to display a bright showy flower. They spread by rhizomes and will quickly populate a site, given the correct soils. The best place to see these spring blooms is to head north on the current Appalachian Trail from the parking area on Laurel Springs Drive. You will quickly find yourself next to a spring that feeds a small wetland full of marsh marigold.
One of my favorite woodland species to emerge is bloodroot. They are often the first native ephemeral to break through the leaf litter and almost immediately present their gorgeous delicate white flower. They get their name from the color of their sap which can be best seen near the base of the plant. You can find them along almost every trail at Wintergreen, but the Highlands Leisure Trail hosts an abundance of them every spring.
I feel contractually obligated to include trillium in my list of favorite spring wildflowers. I do love them for a variety of reasons. They tend to prefer rich sites at Wintergreen which feature good soil on north or west exposures but can be found all over the mountaintop. My favorite feature is their posture. Spring ephemerals don’t need to strive for height that summer flowers such as asters or lilies do so they are usually low to the ground. Trillium gives the forest floor great depth by being quite tall compared to other spring flowers and make themselves stand out that much more. The best place to find them is Trillium Field where thousands will emerge each spring.
If you want to learn more than one brain can take in at a given time about spring ephemerals, sign up for our Spring Awakening (formerly known as the Spring Wildflower Symposium) on May 1-3. We have moved the date to be able to hike amongst the spring flowers at their peak. Hope you can join us!