April 23, 1963 - Heralds of Spring
Solomon's Seal False Solomon's Seal False Lily-of-the-Valley White Trillium
Exclusive Sunday Review sketch by Dennis Puleston
GUEST WRITER:
CAROLYN MARSHALL
I have introduced many guest
writers to you through the two
years this column has been run-
ning but this week I am par-
ticularly pleased because our writ-
er is one of the many talented
young people who are stastting to
blossom into this world of writ-
ing. Carolyn has accompanied us
many times on trips and is fast
becoming a top notch naturalist.
PS
Heralds of Spring
In the latter part of April,
spring begins to shape and color
the woods, and once again it is
time for the earliest of the flora
to put on their yearly displayee
Here on Long Island, we are es-
pecially fortunate to be able to
see a variety of flowering plants
because of the differences in the
soil and terrain. However, the
most handsome and eagerly await-
ed plants appear on the rich,
moist hillsides of the North Shore,
and in the swampy areas on the
South Shore. In this article, and
in one which will appear next
week, the author hopes to acquaint
the reader with some of the more
common, but no less beautiful,
flowers which may be found this
time of year if one cares to leave
the crowded highways for a short
walk.
Just inside the woods, under
the spreading branches of some
evergreen, or pushing up through
the remains of last year's foliage.
the ground may be covered with
a mat of small, dark green
leaves, spotted here and there
with rusty patches. These oval
shapes are the leaves of May
Pink, or Trailing Arbutus
(Epigaea repens), which bears a .
group of very fragrant and fra-
gile pink flowers. This plant, like
so many others, has been mis-
treated by botanical enthusiasts
and is becoming more and more
scarce each year. If one tries to
pick the small blossoms (only
about a half of an inch in diame-
ter), a whole trailing; stem k
likely to be pulled up, and the
plant is easily ruined.
The name of this early spring
messenger was given by the Pil-
grims. May Pink grows abund-
antly in the area of P:,ym•31.01
Rock, and was the first flower to
greet the weary travelers after
their long, hard winter.
'Yet "God be praised!" the Pil-
grim said,
Who saw the blossoms peer
Above the brown leaves, dry
and dead!,
"Behold our Mayflower here!
— Whittier
As we walk further on into the
woods, we will come to perhaps
the hest known inhabitant of the
moist woodlot, the stately Jack -
in - the - pulpit (Arisaema triphy'-
lum). It could be found almost
anvwherr were it not for the bo-
tanical scavangers who tend to
'.ward the great woodsman as a
trophy off their competence.
"Jack -in- the - pulpit preaches to-
day
Under tiie green trees just over
the way.
Squirrels and song - birds, high
on their perph,
Hear the sweet lily -bells ring-
ing to church.
Come hear what his reverence
rises to say,
In his low painted pulpit this
calm Sabbath day.
Fair is to canopy over ham
seen,
Pencilled by Nature's hand,
black, brown, and green.
Green is ibis suT;plice, green are
his hands;
In his queer little pulpit the
little priest stands."
— Anonymous
Inconspicuous at first because
.of #the two broad leaves, the
preacher may be found hiding in
the pulpit, as if shielding him-
self from the arch- enemy, Man.
The leaves extend from the foot
high stern, adding further protec-
tion for Jack. Inside the pulpit,
the true flowers can be found
clustered at the base of the club -
I;ke spadix (tile preacher). Jack's
hood is striped with g r e e n s,
brown, and purple, and tends to
be tinted lighter or darker ac-
cording to the amount of sunlight
available. At one time it had
been thought that the sex of the
plant could 'be determined by the
shading — the males would be
predominantly green, and the fe-
males would be a darker green
and purple.
In the fall, when the fruit of
the Jack -in- the - pulpit had ripen-
ed to the familiar blood -red bunch
of berries grouped around the
spadix, the Indians boiled them
and ate them as a favorite dish.
The root of the plant, the corn,
was also boiled and eaten. If con-
sumed be "ore being boiled, the
corm leaves a very memorable
impression.
In among the woodland preach-
ers, NN•2 may spot the great um-
brella -like leaves of the May Ap-
ple (Podophyllum p e I t a t u m),
sometimes spreading nearly a
foot in diameter. The two hand -
com,e, dark green leaves extend
from a single stem, and fall over
in a canopy, protecting its chat-
tel. The delicate white flower
hangs on a petille, shielded by
the deeply lobed umbrellas. The
flower may reach two inches in
width before the white petals fall
off. Regretfully, the blossom, in
spite of its grace, has a rather
unpleasant odor. By July, if the
plant has survived, a large, yel-
low, seedy fruit will have devel-
oped. This fruit has been named
the "wild lemon" because of its
appearance. It is eaten by many
of the woodland prowlers, and
may be eaten by man. The Ind-
ians were supposed to have valu-
ed it for medicinal purposes. Al-
though the fruit is harmless, the
rest of the plant is very poison-
ous and should never be eaten.
Leaving this deceptive plant be-
hind, we will walk down to a little
stream, and in the more protect-
ed areas, find the Wood Anemone
(Anemone quinquefolia), seeming-
ly t6o small and delicate to be
up facing the cool April breezes.
The slender stem reaches only
several inches above the ground,
and at times it seems to tremble
with the restlessness of spring.
The leaven are born at the base
of the plant, and at a common
point about two - thirds of the way
up the stem, three other leaves
branch out. Each leaf h as a
stem of its own, and is further
broken into three - toothed leaflets.
The solitary flower rises above
on the steam and may reach a full
growth of three - quarters of an
inch. The blossom has no true
petals, but has instead, usually
five petal -like sepals, c o l o r e d
white, • with a pink tinge. T he
Wood Ahernone is indeed one of
the most fragile plants in its en-
vironment.
This last week in April :has been
quite productive. Next week, one
hopes that we will be able to con-
tinue our walk through the woods,
exploring some of the other early
spring flora.
Please send your comments and
observations to P a u Stouten-
burgh, Box 105, Cutchogue, N Y.
FIELD OBSERVATIONS
Laurence Ernest reports:
April 13 -15
Southampton
Red- breasted Nuthatch (2)
Pipits (26)
Shinnecock
Red - throated Loon
Lesser Yellowlegs
Black- bellied Plover
Judd Bennett and P Stoutenburgh
report:
April 20 — East Marion
Broad - winged Hawk (2)
Night Heron
Ruby- crowned Kinglet (6)
Brown Creeper (10)
Junco (3)
White- throated Sparrow (3)
Whip -poor -will
Savannah Sparrow (15)
Towhee (5)
Yellowlegs
Kingfisher
Green Heron
Field Sparrow (5)
Osprey
Palm Warbler (2)
Myrtle Warblers