Spring wildflowers. I have memories of looking for these at my Uncle Ted's which was on the bluffs near Lansing and the Mississippi. Have you ever been wildflower hunting?

spring beauty image from Pinterest. 

Bluebells image from Pinterest 

Dutchmen Britches image form Minnesotaseasons.com 

Bloodroot image from blogspot.com 

trout lily image form Pinterest 

red Trillium image from Pinterest 

star flower image from leaves of plants.blogspot.com 

 wood anemone image from Pinterest 

Hepatica image from Pinterest 

toothwort image from Pinterest 

WOW it is warm out all ready.  33 degrees at 9:00 Am with a clear, blue sky.  High today of high 50’s.  UNBELIEVEABLE.  Looks like for the next 7 days warm  Normal low is 18 degrees, high of 34 degrees.  We will see if this continues or we will have more seasonable temperatures. 

I almost don’t want to post this writing about early spring wildflowers.  I am hoping they don’t start to come out because we might get some more cold weather.  But here they are. 
Have you been in the woods in the spring and found these?  My growing up years, we would go to Uncle Ted’s and look for these wildflowers in his woods.  His land was on the bluffs by Lansing and the Mississippi River.  Very fond memories…
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Common Spring-Flowering Ephemerals by Robin Sweetser
Go for a walk in the woods to see the first wildflowers! Called “spring ephemerals,” these tiny flowers emerge in early spring and disappear when the tree canopies fill out! They have descriptive names: trillium, bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, and Virginia bluebells, to name a few.
A sure sign of spring in my area is when the bloodroot blooms. Like other spring-blooming ephemerals, this tiny wildflower makes use of the short time before trees leaf out and block the sun on the woodland ground. They fit most of their above-ground life into a few weeks in April and May, then fade away until next spring.
What are Spring Ephemerals?
We call these early wildflowers “ephemerals” because most, if not all, of their growth dies back when it starts to get warm.  They are perennials which grow from underground corms or rhizomes. They can put on such an early show because they have stored food in their bulbs from the previous year’s growth.
Don’t let their small, delicate appearance fool you.  These lovely wildflowers are tough. They are perfectly adapted to the harsh growing conditions of early spring, utilizing the high levels of moisture and nutrients in the soil of deciduous forests at this time of year. Moist soil helps moderate the extreme difference between day and night temperatures and by growing low to the ground, they are out of the range of cold, drying winds.
Spring-blooming ephemerals bloom for only a few precious weeks; they need to complete most of their life cycle in the early spring before the trees, shrubs, and plants leaf out and take the available light.
Since there are not too many flying insects active this early in the spring, many ephemerals are pollinated by specialized beetles or ants. Others have evolved to look or smell like rotting meat to attract any flesh-eating flies that might be out early. Ants not only pollinate some of the plants but also disseminate the seeds.
10 Common Spring-Flowering Ephemerals
When you are walking in the woods keep an eye out for some of these delightfully delicate wildflowers and assume the proper attitude of reverence by getting down to their level to observe them up close and personal.
1. Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) is a gorgeous native wildflower found in moist woodlands and river flood plains. This ephemeral perennial plant comes up early in the spring. Purplish pink buds open to sky blue flowers with a delicate, sweet fragrance. The tubular flowers are beloved by pollinating bumblebees and other long-tongued bees but are visited as well as by several types of butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds.
2. Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) look just like white pantaloons hanging upside-down to dry. They are also called soldier’s cap or butterfly banners and are related to bleeding hearts. The upside-down blossoms protect the pollen from wind and rain. Only the female bumblebees with her long tongue, can reach the nectar deep inside the long spurs and pollinate the flower in the process.
3. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) has pure white flowers with leaves that wrap around the stem and bud, trapping warm air. Bloodroot gets its name from the red sap the leaves, stems, and roots exude when broken.
The petals appear before the leaves unfurl and at night they close up to protect the center from rain or frost.
4. Eastern spring beauty (Claytonia virginica). The light pink Spring Beauties below have 5-petaled flowers with dark pink veins and long, succulent leaves.
5. Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) is the earliest blooming lily, bearing small yellow trumpets with recurved petals. The purple splotches on its leaves resemble the markings on a brook trout, giving it its name.
6. Red trillium (Trillium erectum) are all about threes. The plant has three heart-shaped leaves, three large red petals, and three green sepals. This has earned it the name trinity flower, but it goes by many common names including stinking Benjamin for its repulsive odor of rotting flesh meant to attract the flies that pollinate it and wake robin since it usually blooms around the time the robins return.
7. Starflower (Trientalis borealis) is a plant of sevens - seven leaves, seven petals, seven stamens, and even seven seeds in each capsule. These bright white flowers spread by underground runners and will form a nice carpet if undisturbed.
8. Wood anemones (Anemone quinquefolia) have a pliable stem that can survive strong winds. Its white blossoms have no nectar or scent and the plant is wind pollinated giving it the common name windflower.
9. Round-lobed hepatica (Anemone americana) is an early bloomer; its buds have hairs that act as insulation. It is easy to miss because its tiny flowers appear among last year’s withered leaves. The blossoms can be dark violet, white or a range of pastel colors including pink, lavender, and pale blue. Its flowers are self-fertile and don’t need an insect to pollinate them.
10. Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) is one of the earlier spring wildflowers of moist forests and woods; the name refers to the tooth-like projections on the underground stems (actually leaf scars from the previous seasons growth). The leaves and rhizomes are edible (with a spicy flavor inspiring the common name of pepper root).
Enjoy them in their natural surroundings. Never dig them up and try to transplant them into your own garden. Many species, like trout lilies, take upwards of 8 years to flower.
Just enjoy a walk in the woods and the chance to see these wildflowers during the few short weeks that they flower. As the name “ephemeral” suggests, their beauty is fleeting.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/10-spring-ephemerals-first-wildflowers
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365