Mariton: Spring Wildflowers

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager.  Photos by Carole Mebus.

When we weren’t looking for birds on our Bird Walk, we were admiring the many wildflowers at Mariton.  This Saturday’s Wild Flower Walk (9 a.m. – noon) should be really good. 

Carole Mebus captured the essence of one of my favorites:  the Perfoliated Bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata).  This is named because the stem perforates the foliage, which can be seen quite well in the photo above.  Besides being fun to say (both the Latin and common names), this unassuming little flower in the lily family is quite handsome.  Because the flower hangs down (like a bell) and is surrounded by green sepals, it is easy to pass by and miss its yellow blossoms.  I call this Mariton’s official spring wildflower.  For whatever reason, it likes Mariton’s environment and grows everywhere along the trails, forming a ground cover in many areas.  Right now, you can even find large patches of it in the meadows.

Another flower that is in its prime right now is the Red Trillium (Trillium erectum).  This flower has several common names including Wake Robin and Stinking Benjamin.  Besides its rich purple blossoms, there are also cream colored blossoms on the flowers at Mariton.  It is really a nice little collection.

By Saturday, we should also be able to see some Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis).  There will also be lot of other flowers including, Solomon Seal, False Solomon Seal, Rue Anemone, Baneberry, Foam Flower, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, etc.