Lexington, KY - In any area that is naturally wooded, the first native plants to come up are known as spring ephemerals. Ephemeral means "lasting for a markedly brief time." These lovely woodland gems seem to take the spring season literally: they spring into action when the ground has just thawed, leafing out, blooming and setting seed in six to eight weeks. A markedly brief time, indeed.
Though the spring ephemerals tend to look rather dainty and delicate, they can't just sit around looking pretty - although they are very good at that. They've got an important job to do: utilizing the brief period in early spring when the soil warms but the deciduous trees have not yet leafed out. Once the leaves of taller plants and trees expand and command the light and water, the ephemerals simply go dormant, reserving the nutrients they gather in their tubers, rhizomes or other underground storehouses, and wait quietly for their next time in the sun.
During their brief time on the spring stage, their critical task is to set seed. In order to set seed, these plants must get pollinated, which can be a trick this time of the year. Ephemerals bloom only when the forest canopy is still open, and pollination can only occur when it's warm enough for insects to be able to fly.
Each plant's private life is unique and interesting. Here are a few tantalizing bits about some ephemerals:
Bloodroot blossoms have no nectar, but the large petals and brightly colored centers attract insect pollinators. Bloodroot is typically pollinated by bees, which transfer its pollen to other flowers. But, if the plant blossoms too early in spring when it is still cold, bees will not be available to assist in pollination. In this instance, the bloodroot can eject pollen from its sacs in an effort to hit the stigma of another plant.
Dutchman's breeches have spurs that contain nectar to attract the bees that aid in pollination. The unique shape of this upside-down flower offers many benefits to the plant. The pollen is protected from both wind and rain. The design also prevents insect invaders from stealing the nectar without repaying the flower in pollination.
Wild ginger has rather freakish flowers located at the base of the plant, well below the leaves. Both the color and scent of the bloom attracts its pollinators: gnats and flies. The flower emerges in early spring when flies and gnats are searching for thawing carcasses of dead animals in which to lay their eggs. The dull red color of the flower and stench of rotting meat that it produces mimic dead carrion. These adaptations draw the insects to the cup-like flower. Once inside, the flower provides shelter for the insects which in turn pick up pollen to pass on to other plants.
The job isn't finished when pollination occurs and seeds have been set. Now those seeds need to be distributed.
Some ephemerals (wild ginger, bloodroot, anemones, hepaticas, trilliums and violets, for example) practice myrmechochory, which literally means "ant dispersal" - where the ant carries off the seed to be left in a perfect spot for germination.
Other seeds are dispersed by the wind or water. Some rely on animals to eat and excrete them, some stick to the fur and hitch a ride. Some simply drop their seeds to the soil where they will germinate and grow.
Ephemerals are important for plant diversity and beauty, and for nutrient recycling in hardwood forests. In the early spring when the soil is moist and warming up, organic material starts breaking down. The ephemerals come on early and grab these nutrients before the spring rains can wash them away. Later, when these plants break down, this nourishment is then available to other vegetation.
There are many other essential interactions that we don't understand or that we are not even aware of. In this interwoven net of dependency, these plants and animals all need each other. They are adapted to each other, often in very precise ways. Even slight changes in these delicate, vulnerable relationships could have unforeseeable but monumental effects.
Ice, snow, freezing cold, we've had it all. But soon, very soon, spring will arrive. It's somehow reassuring to know that the lovely spring ephemerals are quietly waiting for that first hint of warmth.