By Erin Holden

Like many plant people I know, I spend a lot of my time in the woods staring at the ground, shuffling slowly along hiking trails searching for the interesting and hard-to-spot. At this time of year I’m more than likely stalled out, wound down to a halt as I crouch close to the ground, gently pawing away dried leaves to get a closer look at something I might have glimpsed from higher up. Is that a tiny bloodroot about to unfurl? Have the wild gingers opened their unusual reddish flowers yet? Did I spy some hepatica leaves? Spring’s ephemeral charms range from subtle to dainty and darling. These early bloomers flower before many of the trees even have leaves yet, and serve as some of the first foods for pollinators, such as flies and solitary bees, just waking up from their winter rest.

Round lobed hepatica (Anemone americana), in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) tops the list of my favorites. The name “hepatica”, meaning liver, comes from the three-lobed leaves that were thought to resemble that organ. Growing to only 2”-6” and flowering for a brief time, it feels like hitting the jackpot when I find them. Flowers, ranging from white to violet, start to emerge in mid-March, followed by that year’s leaves. The new leaves have hairy stems and are green, red, or mottled and turn leathery as the season progresses. They persist through the winter and then wither away in the spring, as the cycle starts over.

A fellow buttercup family member, rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides), is another that I look forward to finding each spring. The flowers resemble various Anemone species, while the leaves are similar to meadow rue’s, hence its common name. Impossibly dainty and delicate, these white to pale pink flowers emerge in April and are held aloft on thin stems, up to 9” tall. Small, gently lobed leaves whorl around the stem just below the flowers. Stumbling upon a sunlit patch of rue anemone trembling in a light breeze is one of the best parts of spring.

Dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata, Iridaceae) is much showier than round lobed hepatica or rue anemone, but the time to enjoy it is just as brief. Looking like its larger cousins in miniature, dwarf crested iris grows to about 8” and produces beautiful blue or purple flowers starting in April. Spreading by rhizomes, it can create a groundcover of short, swordlike leaves. Unlike the Ranunculaceae members mentioned, which only produce pollen, this iris also produces nectar to entice pollinators to stop by. Its sturdier flowers can support visitation not just from small flies and solitary bees, but also from heftier bumblebees.

Any of these early spring wildflowers would make a valuable addition to a native woodland garden, providing joy to the heart and food for the bees.

Photo Credits: 1) Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) (Public Domain); 2) Round lobed hepatica (Anemone americana) (Distant Hill Gardens and Nature Trail); 3) Rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) (Andrew Cannizzaro); 4) Dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata) (Ryan Somma).

Erin is the gardener for the National Herb Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the American Herbalists Guild, United Plant Savers, and The Herb Society of America.