Happy Birthday to Me and Rebirth to Spring!

Welcome and welcome back!
Every year on my birthday, I reflect through writing on the year and years past.  This year, I decided to take that writing right here, to the blog.  This also helps me continue on the mission I started last year, my life's purpose: to educate about nature.  This mission became more clear after reading "Last Child in the Woods."  In the book, the author shares the idea that people are not likely to protect what they cannot name.  Once people can name a plant or animal, they start to recognize it, see it's beauty and connect with it, and they are more likely to conserve it.
Last year was full of botanizing (or going hunting for new plants to id and learn about).  I make resolutions on my birthday instead of at the new year; one of this year's resolutions is to get out into the woods even more.  It's been working out pretty good so far and I've already seen some new-to-me plants.
Here's some spring ephemerals (flowering plants that are only around for a short time in the spring) and other goodies that I've seen recently and may be new to you.

A buckeye (Aesculus spp.) bud, these can get huge!

Chickweed (Stellaria spp.) can be a pest to gardeners, but doesn't have to. It's super nutritious and delicious!

So exciting, the first trillium of the year; can't wait to see them flower!

Woah, the first violet of the year, already!

Up close and personal with harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa). It's in the carrot family. Can you tell from the leaves? Yup, spring is here!

So cool, the paintbrush-like terminal bud of the pawpaw (Asimina triloba), that Audubon supposedly used for a paintbrush, and the round, fuzzy flower buds soon to turn a deep maroon when they open.

Amazing yellow spicebush flowers (Lindera benzoin). The bark smells like the spice it was substituted for by the pioneers, allspice.

The first toothwort (Dentaria laciniata/Cardamine concatenata) blossoms of 2012 with their jagged narrow leaves and horseradish-flavored, tooth-shaped root.

Okay, now that you know what they are, get outside and find your own!  Just make sure you tell me about them.  Happy hunting!

Putting Away the Ark and Getting Out the Camera

Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)

Ok, ok, I know, everybody here in Ohio is tired of the ark jokes.  Just to fill you in, if you live somewhere else, it has been the rainiest April EVER in the recorded history of Ohio with 13.52 inches of rain!  Yeah, kinda insane.  Consequently, the ark jokes overfloweth.

Though we are all water-logged here, the good news is that the wildflowers and mushrooms have been more abundant than ever.  As I've been super duper busy with school and the countdown to finals, I haven't gotten around to posting the tons of pictures I've taken or writing about the spring blossomings (sorry).

So this will mostly be a picture gallery to catch you up.  Enjoy and don't forget to comment; I'd love to hear all about your spring adventures.

Redbud flowers (Cercis canadensis)

The buds and flowers of the Redbud are sooo tasty!  Great in salads.

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

Ground ivy is a mint and removes lead from the body.

Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne)

Ramps/Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum)

Ramps are a native delicacy in some areas.  

Use like onions, especially good sauteed in olive oil with morels.

Sweet White Violet (Viola blanda) 

Toad Trillium (Trillium sessile)

Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans)

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)

Wild Ginger flower

Tastes ginger-ish and grows in wet places.  This beautiful flower is pollinated by beetles.

May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum)

May Apple flower

Not sure if it's true, but I've heard it takes seven years for May Apples to fruit.  All parts of the plant are poisonous, except for the ripe fruit, but good luck getting some before the local fauna.

Dogwood flower (Cornus canadensis)

This was a sweet shot of this dogwood blossom after it had fallen onto some deadwood.  

Lots of fallen dogwood flowers litter the ground after all the storms lately.

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) 

Shooting Star

This was the first time I've seen these in the wild.  Awesome!

Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

I love the fantastic fantasy-like colors and shape of these.

Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra)

Ohio Buckeye

Ah, the state tree.

Germinating acorns 

This was so cool to see a bunch of these germinating right in the middle of the muddy trail today.

Paw paw flower Asimina triloba)

One of my very favorite plants and fruits!  The flower is pollinated by flies.  Some people tie bags of rotten meat in the trees to attract the pollinators.  The paw paw is the largest native fruit in North America.  It tastes like banana custard, yum!

The Magical Morel Mushrooms (Morchella spp.)

Morels are another local delicacy.  The tastiest mushroom!  It's always an adventure morel hunting; some days you'll find one, some days you'll find twenty.  They smell and taste earthy and tempting.  With the ridiculous amount of rainfall we've had, they are popping up more this year, often in the most unexpected places.

Some people say all this rain is a natural progression, like the ice ages, some say it's climate change, some say it's a spiritual lesson about slowing down.  Maybe it's all of the above, but it definitely makes me think about what water means to to life . . . and how fun it is to jump in puddles!