COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio's earliest-blooming spring wildflowers have started to appear across the state's southern woodlands, signaling the start of the wildflower-viewing season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
ODNR facilities throughout the southern portion of the state reported sightings of snow trillium, the state's earliest blooming wildflowers, during the first week of March. Hepatica, harbingers-of-spring, spring beauty and cut-leaved toothwort were also spotted.
"After a long, gray winter, the first blooms of spring, including snow trillium and others, are a welcome sight," said Nancy Strayer, acting chief of the ODNR Division of Natural Areas & Preserves. "That's Mother Nature's way of saying that spring is really here."
Unlike garden bulbs and domestic perennials that respond to warm temperatures and moisture, wildflowers take their cues to bloom directly from the sun. As daylight hours increase, so do the variety and numbers of blooms. It's a natural phenomenon that's widely anticipated each year in Ohio as nature enthusiasts head to the state parks, forests and nature preserves.
Other early wildflowers, such as harbingers-of-spring, spring beauty and hepatica begin showing their colors about the same time as snow trillium. Harbingers are a type of parsley that grow about 3 inches high and are easily overlooked on woodland walks. Hepatica, however, feature snowy blooms on a tall, slender stalk.
Spring beauty, a white and pink striped species that grows about 6 inches high, holds its blossoms for as long as three weeks. Cut-leaved toothwort, a member of the mustard family, also grows about 6 inches high and features a delicate white to lavender bloom.
Bloodroot, a white wildflower with yellow stamens, begins showing its face in April, along with dozens of other wildflower species. Among the most prevalent and distinctive are trout lilies and Virginia bluebells. Named for their speckled leaves that resemble a trout's scales, trout lilies are common throughout the state. The trumpet-like blooms of Virginia bluebells turn from pink to blue as they mature. They are among the most common Ohio wildflowers, blooming in April and May in wet, wooded areas and along small streams.
Wild violets also grow throughout the state. While purplish blue is the common color, violets are also found in hues of yellow and white. Moist, open woods are their favorite habitat, although they are frequently found in suburban yards.
Ohio's rarest wildflower, the Lakeside daisy, blooms in early May in a former quarry near Marblehead in Ottawa County. Now a designated state nature preserve, the quarry is one of only three places in the world where this endangered wildflower thrives.
Ohio's state parks and nature preserves are among the best places to view the state's 2,300 species of wildflowers in their natural settings. Visit ohiodnr.com for additional information on wildflower-related activities in the parks and preserves.
EDITORS NOTE: High resolution images of spring wildflowers are available online at ohiodnr.com