Vernal Equinox: March 21 (This year it is on the 22nd.)
The chorus frogs have finished their spring concert. Their early debut prompts some listeners to label them “spring peepers,” but peepers are only one type of chorus frog and many give a trilled call, quite different from Pseudocris crucifer. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency has a web page that shows the abundant varieties of Tennessee frogs.
Chorus frogs are not alone in their celebration of the warming days of spring. A mockingbird woke me this morning as he courted his mate outside my window. Many of the woodland birds have already begun to establish nesting territories. Young great horned owls have fledged and prepare to leave the nest. Young birds of prey emerge from their eggs just as the spring population explosion of small rodents occurs. This is fortunate for the busy parents foraging to feed their hungry young.
As the birds and frogs continue their noisy celebration of spring, a quieter beauty spreads beneath the trees. Today, I saw a perfect flower atop a bloodroot plant. The one green leaf gently clasped the flowering stem which ended in a multitude of snow-white petals surrounding a yellow center. I counted seven white petals on several bloodroot, but some held as many as ten.
The bloodroot derives its name from a sticky red sap that drips from the large carrot-like rhizome of the uprooted plant. It is a North American member of the poppy family and is poisonous. A derivative of the plant, sanguinaria, was once thought to prevent tooth decay.
The bloodroot is but one plant that graces the floor of this woodland valley. These wildflowers are known as spring ephemerals because of their short-lived nature. A weekly inspection of the same woodlot will reveal a constant change in hue and pattern. The name ephemeral refers to their short-lived nature.
The spring beauties are one of the more persistent spring wildflowers, though they have the unusual habit of opening in the morning and closing their blossoms during the heat of the day. The pink line down the center of each of the five white petals creates a striking pattern in its delicate way. These lines create a landing guide for visiting bees and assure pollination.
Further along the path the white rue anemone offsets the multiple hues of yellow, white, and purple violets. Their stark color is set against the dark leaves of the trout lily, dark green with lighter spots. Some anglers must have wished for a day on a mountain stream casting for speckled trout when naming this plant.
Trout lilies reveal their membership in the lily family by the presence of three petals and three sepals, easily mistaken for six petals, all bright yellow. Only a few have bloomed today, with more to come later, but their beauty is a fine reward for time spent outdoors. The yellow petals contrast with the maroon stamens in the flower’s center.
The presence of long strands of toad eggs, like strings of pearls, in a pond, reminds me that this beauty, both the colors of the wildflowers and the singing of birds and frogs, is dedicated to the perpetuation of their species. As much as spring revives and reinvigorates the weary soul, the warming sun also signals the time of courtship.
The old turtles in the pond have risen to the surface and are warming themselves on a rock. Soon they will burrow into the earth and lay their eggs in nests of their own. A few geese have already nested on the islands in a nearby creek. The downy yellow chicks will follow the parents in a straight line across the fields and ponds. They are equally at home on land or water.
As the sun fades, a red glow gives the promise of another day of light and warmth tomorrow.