Winston Woods in May

“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us,” according to Iris Murdoch. It certainly gives me pleasure to walk through the woods in the spring to see what flowers are in bloom.

One of the most plentiful flowers in bloom in mid-May was the trillium. All the trillium in saw in Winston Woods are a maroon-shade of red. A trillium has three leaves, three sepals and three petals. The whorl of leaves is attached to the stalk just below the flower. Below those three leaves, the stalk (which is often a foot or more tall) is bare. From a human perspective, trillium do not have a pleasant fragrance, but their fetid odor attracts the flies and other insects that pollinate them.

The fact that trillium are among the earliest spring flowers doubtless is the source for their nickname, “wake robin.” In 1847, Frank Curzon published a poem that suggests that the red trillium got its color when it was kissed by a robin. However, the poor flower fades and dies before the red-breast comes back. Trillium is among the spring ephemerals that don’t last long. I found only a few blooming on when I took my last May walk in Winston Woods.

On May 12, I found a colony of May apples in Winston Woods. Many were budding, and a few were in bloom. A patch of May apples remind me of a beach full of umbrellas.  In fact “umbrella plant” is one of its nicknames. In order to get a good look at the blossoms, you have to squat down and look under the “umbrella.” You will only find buds or blossoms on plants with two leaves; they buds form at the axil where the stem divides. By the end of May their blooming season appeared to be over.

Some of the wildflowers I saw in mid-May were still “in season” as the month ended. These include Jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, phlox, Jacob’s ladder, and garlic mustard. Garlic mustard is an invasive species. If it gets out of control, it can crowd out native plants. I also saw flowers I had not encountered earlier in the month, such as Solomon’s seal, fake Solomon’s seal, daisies and buttercups and a wild strawberry.

As the trees leaf out, the tender spring wildflowers that need sunshine die out. Flowers which thrive in the shade take their turn bringing joy. Each season has its own beauty, so come walk in Winston Woods, and see what treasures you can discover. Stay on the paths so as not to trample wildflowers. At Winston Woods, unlike the DuPage River Greenway, it is virtually impossible to avoid physical contact with vegetation, so be sure to protect yourself against ticks.

© Wilda Morris