Secret Stories of the Wildflowers: Spring Ephemerals

Many people mark the beginning of spring with the rise of the crocus and the daffodil, but there in the Blue Ridge Mountains spring announces itself with a special group of quiet little forest dwellers known as spring ephemerals.

The ephemerals, as the name implies, are a short-lived class of delicate wildflowers that typically bloom from late February-April. Perhaps you’ve heard of them? They include Trillium, Bloodroot, Anemones, Toothwort, Violets, Spring Beauties, Trout Lily, and Wild Ginger, to name a few.

These little lovelies are small, often blooming close the ground and are easy to miss. So, for best viewing, I recommend a slow, quiet saunter through the forest to make sure you don’t miss them. Most ephemerals take a very long time to grow before they reach the flowering stage, and any have developed critical and complicated relationships with the mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. So, you’ll most likely only find them in mature, undisturbed woodlands.

Spring Ephemerals are specially adapted to the mercurial nature of the late-winter season which offers a leafless canopy that allows light to filter all the way to the forest floor, as well as high moisture levels from late winter rains and nutrient-rich soils from last fall’s decomposing leaf litter.

Many of these flowers are pollinated by the early-rising forest crawlers like ant and beetles, which may account for why they bloom so close to the ground. Some, like Bloodroot are also wind pollinated to ensure seed production—an excellent plan really, especially if a late winter keeps those little crawlers in bed longer than planned.

There is some folklore associated with spring ephemerals. Many were used for magical and medicinal purposes by indigenous tribes. Unfortunately, much of that information has been lost due to colonization. Regardless, harvesting these special flowers for medicinal purposes is not recommended, especially since several species are considered rare or ‘threatened’ in many states. Our forest ecosystems are painfully stressed as is, so please tread thoughtfully and respectfully. Enjoy their beauty from afar and let them live and thrive in the forests that are their birthright.


Here is a little video I did to show you some more examples of spring ephemerals and where they tend to grow.

Do you have a favorite spring ephemeral? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Blooming!