A Troupe of Wildflowers

What a spring! It seems like each time I walk on one of the Arboretum trails, I spot a different wildflower. A bevy of bloodroot, a symphony of spring beauties, a cadre of trillium, a throng of Dutchman's breeches – well, you get the picture! Interested in sharpening your identification skills of these remarkable plants? Want to learn more about the folklore and myths related to these springtime ephemerals? Before or after your walk, stop by the Sterling Morton Library and indulge yourself in one of these resources:

• Black, Merel R. Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the upper Midwest, 2008.
• Clemants, Steven Earl. Wildflowers in the field and forest : a field guide to the northeastern United States, 2006.
• Coffey, Timothy. The history and folklore of North American wildflowers, 1993.
• Ladd, Douglas M. North Woods wildflowers: a field guide to wildflowers of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, 2001.
• Mahlberg, Paul G. Wildflowers of Door County : Wisconsin's unique floral preserve : a field guide, 2000.
• Martin, Laura C. Wildflower folklore, 1984.
• Sanders, Jack. Hedgemaids and fairy candles : the lives and lore of North American wildflowers, 1993.
• Sanders, Jack. The secrets of wildflowers, 2003.
• Vance, F.R. Wildflowers of the northern Great Plains, 1999.
• Werner, William E. Life and lore of Illinois wildflowers, 1988.
• Yatskievych, Kay. Field guide to Indiana wildflowers, 2000.

Enjoy these days!

Spring wildflowers at The Morton Arboretum

With each walk that I take at the Arboretum, I’m seeing signs of some of our early spring wildflowers. Bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, toothwort and the aptly named spring beauty will soon be making their appearances on our grounds. As the weather begins to moderate, our woodlands will soon be in full bloom with a number of our spring ephemerals. Interested in learning more about the identification of these plants? Wonder about how to grow these wildflowers in your garden? Charmed by the folklore surrounding these harbingers of spring? Visit the Sterling Morton Library and delve into some of our resources before (or after) a woodland walk:

• Coffey, Timothy. The history and folklore of North American wildflowers, c1993.
• Cullina, William. The New England Wild Flower Society guide to growing and propagating wildflowers of the United States and Canada, 2000.
• Eifert, Virginia. Flowers that bloom in the spring : spring comes to Illinois--and with it come wild flowers which are part of the picture of springtime, 1952.
• Loewer, H. Peter. The wild gardener : on flowers and foliage for the natural border, c1991.
• Martin, Laura C. Wildflower folklore, c1984.
• Runkel, Sylvan T. Wildflowers of Illinois woodlands, c1979.
• Sanders, Jack. Hedgemaids and fairy candles : the lives and lore of North American wildflowers, c1993.
• Voss, John. Illinois wild flowers, 1951.
• Werner, William E. Life and lore of Illinois wildflowers, 1988.
• Wildflower gardens : 60 spectacular plants and how to grow them in your garden, c1999.
  

Bloodroot line drawing from: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 2: 140.