Wildflower Wednesday: Maianthemum racemosum

Maianthemum racemosum (formerly known as Smilacina racemosa) is a colonizer that is spreading very slowly beneath Viburnum rafidulum in my habitat. It mingles delightfully with Green and Gold, Christmas ferns and Purple phacelia. I am very fond of it and appreciate that it is attractive in the garden from early spring to winter frost.

The crooked arching stems and large leaves of early spring are attention grabbers with their slightly zigzag hairy, reddish or green stems between the leaves. The leaves (ovate and alternate) are produced on 1-3 foot, unbranched arching stems that usually last through the summer.

 

 False Solomon’s seal prefers the same conditions as Solomon’s seal: moist, rich, well-drained soils in partial to full shade, but it also tolerates drier, rockier conditions. If you transplant them expect flowering to be delayed since they resent disturbance. Deer have never browsed mine, but it is protected beneath the low branches of a Viburnum rufidulum. It's happiest in shaded borders, woodland gardens or native plant gardens and combines well with other shade-loving plants.

 

The leaves are attention getters, but soon the flower heads take center stage. Just look at that plumed flower head!

crooked arching stems and large leaves of early spring are attention grabbers

Each plant produces a plume of slightly fragrant snow-white flowers with creamy or pale yellow stamen tips in April in my Middle Tennessee habitat (Zone7a).

The plume might have up to 80 star shaped flowers that are pollinated by small bees, flies, and beetles. The bees collect nectar and pollen from the flowers, while flies and beetles feed on the pollen.

 Crab spiders and ambush bugs hang out on the flowering plumes, just waiting for a small bee or beetle to stop by.

crab spider hiding on flowering plume

It's not always easy to watch the little pollinators get grabbed by a predator, but, that happens in a wildlife friendly garden. Those predators are soon preyed upon by larger spiders and birds and those birds could be dinner for a hawk...But, I digress! Which is very easy to do when you begin talking about gardening for wildlife.  

Berries are starting to form

All those busy little bees, flies and beetles pollinate the flowers and soon greenish berries follow. They'll continue to swell and darken over the summer. 

Fruit is a cluster of waxy berries, each 1/8 inch across, that turn bright red when ripe

 By August they are a delightful mottled red. The color show doesn't stop there, the berries turn a dark cherry red when ripe and look stellar against the fading and browning foliage.

The ripe berries are eaten by woodland birds and mice. It's thought that a trip through the digestive tract of a critter helps the seeds germinate, it is also a good way for seeds to be dispersed around the garden. 

False Solomon's Seal has been used medicinally to treat coughs, but, I've never harvested them nor do I cut flowers for indoor display. Their flowers and color show feed my soul and the berries feed the resident critters.

The Particulars

Maianthemum racemosum  (Smilacina racemosa)
Commonly known as False Solomon's Seal
Family:  Asparagaceae no longer a Lily family member
USDA Zones: 3-8
Native range: Entire North American continent
Plant Spacing: 18-24"
 Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade/ Shade
Soil Moisture:  Wet-Mesic/ Mesic (Medium)/Dry-Mesic  Dry
Height: 2 feet
Bloom Color: White  with golden yellow stamens
Bloom Time: April/May/June
Plant Type: Wildflowers (Forbs)
Beneficial: A pollen and nectar food for bees, beetles, flies. A seed food for rodents and songbirds
Availability: Is available online~ seeds, plants and roots. Locally: GroWild
Comments: Love it used as a ground cover in wildflower/naturalistic gardens, plant with Solomon's Seal, Christmas ferns, wild ginger and Golden ragwort. Best in naturalized plantings, wild gardens, native plant gardens, or woodland gardens. 

But seriously, use it however you want, after all, it's your garden.
xoxogail 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone and Wildflower Wednesday. This day is about sharing wildflowers and other native plants no matter where one gardens~the UK, tropical Florida, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, India or the coldest reaches of Canada. It doesn't matter if we sometimes share the same plants, how they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most. Sharing native wildflowers on social media is one of the best ways to educate others to their value to wildlife and the ecosystem.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener, Tennessee Naturalist and nature writer in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

First Wednesday Taking Care of Nature Challenge: Immerse Yourself in Spring

 

Spring is popping out all over and this is a great time to challenge you to get outside and enjoy it all.

Our health and well-being are directly affected by the amount of time we spend in nature. In a review of the research, Gregory Bratman, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Washington, and colleagues shared evidence that being out in nature is associated with increases in happiness, subjective well-being, positive affect, positive social interactions and a sense of meaning and purpose in life, as well as decreases in mental distress (Science Advances, Vol. 5, No. 7, 2019).

 

 My mood lifts anytime I am out in nature. If I've been feeling down just sitting in the sunshine and breathing in fresh air instantly makes me feel lighter. The more time I spend outdoors the more connected I feel to myself and to the natural world.  Researchers call this feeling by a variety of names, including nature relatedness and connectedness to nature. This connectedness seems to benefit mood and mental health. Alison Pritchard, PhD, ABPP, at the University of Derby in England, and colleagues found that people who feel more connected to nature have greater eudaimonic well-being. Eudaimonic is a type of contentment that goes beyond just feeling good and includes having meaningful purpose in life (Journal of Happiness Studies, online first publication, 2019). It has been defined as a life well-lived, or human flourishing, and usually includes authenticity, excellence, growth and meaning.

 

Being aware of nature is one of my core values. I respect nature and have a deep belief in our interconnectedness and our responsibility for its protection.

I've been connected to nature since I was a little kid. What does it mean to be connected to nature? It means we can enjoy it, empathize with it, feel responsible for it, be aware of it, show curiosity about it, choose to be out in it and have an emotional and cognitive affinity for it.

Eric Fromm coined the term biophilia, but, it was popularized by Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson through his 1984 book Biophilia. In it, Wilson proposed that humans' attraction to nature is genetically predetermined and the result of evolution. In other words, we are wired to be connected to nature.

 

Every day there's more bad news about the environment, from global warming to an insect apocalypse. Getting outside and getting connected to nature can jump start environmental consciousness. Becoming environmentally conscious starts with recognizing the impact of our individual choices on the environment. From the food we eat to the products use in our yards, our decisions have ripple effects that extend far beyond our immediate surroundings. Research indicates that when people are aware of their environmental impact, they are more likely to adopt eco-friendly behaviors (Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). This goes for kids, too.

 

My garden April 1

 

You probably don't need me to create a list of things you can do outside, but just in case: Here's a list!

Hiking: Nashvillians explore local trails like those at the Warner Parks, Shelby Bottoms or Beaman Park. 

Wildflower hike: Many local nature centers offer wildflower hikes with naturalists.

Biking: Take a scenic bike ride.

Picnic: Pack a lunch and enjoy a picnic in a park like Centennial Park or at a local botanical garden.  

Gardening: Plant a spring garden or tend to existing plants.  

Birdwatching: Observe the many bird species that return to the area in spring.  

Stargazing: On clear nights, enjoy the night sky and look for constellations.  

Fly a Kite: Take advantage of the wind and fly a kite in an open area like a park.  

Visit a Farmers Market: Explore local farmers markets for fresh produce and other seasonal goods.  

Outdoor Yoga/Meditation: Practice yoga or meditation in a park or garden.  

Frisbee or Disc Golf: Have fun tossing a Frisbee or playing a round of disc golf in a park or open field with friends.  

Take an Evening Stroll: Enjoy the fresh air and clear your mind with a leisurely walk.  

Go for a Run or Walk: Get some exercise and enjoy the weather with a run or walk in a park or along a trail.   

Visit a Botanical Garden: Wander through a botanical garden and admire the blooming flowers. 

Take a forest bath: Immerse yourself in nature and enjoy the calming effects of a forest bath.  

Enjoy the spring weather at an outdoor café.

Make a bird feeder. 

Take pictures of nature. 

Practice mindfulness activities.

Start a nature journal to document birds and plants.

Go on a guided foraging tour. 

Watch bumblebees at work in a garden.

Visit the zoo. 

 Last, but certainly, not least: Take your kids on a nature walk. Create childhood memories or share your own with kids as you play with sidewalk chalk, blow bubbles, or create an enchanted fairy garden.

 

We need to get our kids outside more...There are many good reasons to be outside for all of us, but, it's especially true for children who seem to be spending less time outdoors than ever before. When researching the numbers I was shocked to read that the average child spends only 6 -7 minutes outdoors everyday. That's so different from my free to roam childhood when as a part of a small gang of neighborhood kids we rode bikes, climbed trees, explored the woodlands and were unsupervised almost all day. Each generation has less time outdoors, let alone unsupervised time outdoors. I am not recommending that you free range kids, just give them more opportunities to be outdoors in nature. There are so many benefits for them and for nature. 

Here are six crucial ways playing outside helps children (from Harvard School of Medicine)

1.   Sunshine. Vitamin D production, improved immune system, healthy sleep and improved mood

2.  Exercise. Children should be active for an hour every day, and getting outside to play is one way to be sure that happens.

3.  Executive function. Being outside gives kids opportunities to practice problem solving, use their imagination, solve problems with playmates and help in developing other life skills.
 

4.  Taking risks. Children need to take some risks.  "Risk-taking is all about identity formation. As kids mature, they need opportunities to discover who they are, to set their own boundaries, and to establish their own values and beliefs apart from those of their parents. Wise risk-taking builds resilience, boosts confidence, encourages perseverance, and curbs fear." Climbing trees, jumping off boulders and walls, picking up bugs, and reaching out to make friends are ways kids can take a risk. Activities need to be age appropriate.

5.  Socialization. Children need to learn how to work together, to share, to cooperate, how to treat others and how to make and be a friend. 

6.  Appreciation of nature. So much of our world is changing, and not for the better. If a child grows up never walking in the woods, digging in soil, seeing animals in their habitat, climbing a mountain, playing in a stream, or staring at the endless horizon of an ocean, they may never really understand what there is to be lost. The future of our planet depends on our children; they need to learn to appreciate it, to connect to it.  Research shows that kids who grow up connected to nature are more often motivated to get involved in conservation actions. (source)

Visiting Warner Park Nature Center

Dear readers, please get outside! ...and while you're out there, would you think about ways you can help nature! xoxogail

 

THE FIRST WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE

Want to Take the Taking Care of Wildlife In Our Gardens Challenge?

The first part of this challenge is to do something, even lots of things, each month that support the critters living in our gardens. Gardening with native wildflowers, shrubs and trees that make sense for our ecoregion is a good place to start or continue (as the case may be). Plants and their pollinators are a classic example of mutualism: they have coevolved through evolutionary time in a reciprocal beneficial relationship. This is also true for other critters that visit and live in our gardens. 

Activities that increase our knowledge of the natural world are equally as valuable. Helping others learn about nature is included. Golly gee whiz, there are so many things you can do. 

The second part of the challenge is to post about it somewhere: Your blog, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or even your neighborhood listserve. Wouldn't an article in the local paper be a coup for nature! Why post it? Because positive publicity is needed to educate our friends, neighbors and communities about how important even the smallest changes we make as gardeners can be for pollinators, birds, insects and mammals, including humans, that live all around us. 

Why now? My neighborhood is changing. Yours might be, too. Every day an older home along with many (if not all) of the mature oak, hickory, maple, Eastern cedar and hackberry trees are cut down. Insects, birds, even mammals lose their home site and food supplies when we lose trees. During construction soil is compacted by bulldozers, trucks and piles of debris cause runoff; surface runoff that can carry pollution to streams and rivers. It's important that our neighbors and our community have information about how important trees are to our ecosystem. Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife.

In place of the "bee lawns" composed of Claytonia, Salvia lyrata, Ruellia humilis, fleabane, Western Daisy, Violets, self-heal, clovers, native grasses (in my neighborhood it's poverty oat grass) and sedges, they're being sodded with non-native grasses. These monoculture turf lawns contribute nothing environmentally. Here's what we lose when our diverse lawns are replaced with pristine turf grass:

• Gone are the lightening bugs.
• Gone are the ground dwelling/nesting native bees.
• Gone is the habitat for insects, spiders and other critters. 
• Gone is plant diversity. 
• Gone are trees that provided for hundreds of moths, butterflies and other insects.
• Gone are the nesting sites for woodpeckers, hummingbirds, Chickadees and other birds. 
• Gone is a healthy foodweb.
  

 It breaks my heart. 

We can't stop the progmess, but, maybe we can make a lot of educational noise and help our new neighbors see the value in providing for critters and ultimately helping the environment.

A gardener can hope! 

xoxoGail

Here's an incomplete list of things you might consider doing or changing in your garden, and things you can do for and/or in your community. But don't limit yourself to my list, make your own list or check out the internet for ideas.

 

Looking for ways to get involved go here for a list of environmental advocacy groups.

Buy the best wildflower, butterfly and bird id books for your state.

Read nature books to your children and grandchildren. Buy them nature books.

Get in the garden with your children and grandchildren.

Give nature books as baby shower gifts (Nature books for infants and toddlers)

Shrink your lawn and make your planting beds larger.

Plant your favorite native perennials and shrubs. Leave them standing after they've gone to seed to continue to provide for wildlife. What you plant in your yard makes a difference to wildlife. I garden for wildlife so every tree, shrub and plant is chosen with wildlife in mind.

 

Plant more natives and then consider planting even more. "A typical suburban landscape contains only 20-30% native plant species. Try reversing that trend in your own landscape by using 70-80% native species." (source) 

Plant for bloom from late spring to early winter. Bees are most active from February to November (longer in mild climates) late winter blooming Hamamelis vernalis and the earliest spring ephemerals (like the toothworts, hepaticas, spring beauties, and False rue-anemeone) are perfect plants for a variety of pollinators.

Commit to never, ever, ever, ever using pesticides in the garden.

Stay away from native plant hybrids and cultivars that are double flowered. They are sterile and have no pollen or nectar for insects and no seeds for the birds. If possible plant “true open-pollinated native wildflowers”

If you want to garden for wildlife and pollinators, don't let lack of space stop you! Plant your favorite wildflowers in large containers. You just might have the prairie or woodland garden you've always wanted...in a pot!
 
Create a water feature. Provide water year round that is accessible to birds, bees and other critters.

Make a rain garden in low spots to collect and mitigate runoff.

Show some soil! Our native ground nesting bees nest in bare soil, so don't mulch every square inch of your garden. 

Get rid of the plastic weed barriers in your garden, it's not good for anything.

Invite bugs into your garden. Plant annuals that attract beneficial bugs.

 

Learn to tolerate damaged plants. Imperfection is the new perfect.

Don't be in a rush to clean up the fall garden. Leave plant stalks and seed heads standing all winter. Leave those fallen leaves or as many as you can tolerate! Insects over winter in the fallen and decaying leaves. Leave a layer of leaves as a soft landing material under trees for moths and butterflies to over winter. Many caterpillars drop to the ground from the trees in the fall and need a soft landing site and a place to live over the winter.

Allow a fallen tree to remain in the garden. Limbs on the ground are a perfect shelter for small animals such as rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels and a habitat for beetles, termites and other insects.

Make a brush pile. Stack fallen brush, cut tree limbs, broken pots for ground beetles. Ground beetles are excellent at eating "bad bugs". Bugs are also good bird, toad and small critter food. 

Rethink what you consider a pest. Lots of good bugs eat aphids. Spiders are important predators and they're great bird food!

Add nesting boxes for birds. 

Turn off your yard up-lighting, eave lights and porch lights after 11pm. This is important for nocturnal critters including mammals, snakes, insects, bats, birds (especially during migration). (Birdcast suggestions)

Plant shrubs and small trees that provide berries and nuts.

Keep a nature journal: You can observe visitors to your water feature, make note of when they visit. Notice which flowers attract the most pollinators and which ones are just pretty faces. 

Join your state native plant society (Tennessee Native Plant Society)

Join WildOnes even if there's no local group you can join the national organization.  (Middle Tennessee WildOnes)

Support your local native plant sellers. (GroWild in middle Tennessee, Overhill Gardens in east Tennessee,  Resource Guide TN Native Plant Society)

Encourage your local garden clubs to offer native plant talks.

If your garden club has a plant sale encourage them to sell more native plants.

Get trained as a naturalist (Tennessee Naturalist Program. Almost every state has their own Master Naturalist training program

Take an online course on tree, fungi and wildflower id. 

Take an online course on designing with native plants.

Take a walk in your neighborhood and observe nature. To quote Joanna Brichetto in Sidewalk Nature "Look Around. Nature is here, is us, our driveways, our baseboards, parks, and parking lots."

Read! There are hundreds of books on gardening for wildlife, the environment, and rewilding our world. There are delightful blogs with wonderful and informative articles.

If you are already gardening with wildlife in mind then add a few signs that help educate your neighbors. (Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership)

Join the Xerces Society.

Set up an information station where neighbors can pick up brochures about your garden and other info. 

Get certified (National Wildlife Federation, check to see what your state offers)

Support trees by joining the effort to make sure developers don't remove more trees than are necessary for their project. Work to make sure there are tree removal permits and that they are actually enforced in your community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener, Tennessee Naturalist and nature writer in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Sweet Betsy Time in the Woodland Garden

I love Trillium cuneatum and revel in its spring emergence every year. It's been years since I showcased this beauty and I think it's a perfect little Wildflower Wednesday star.

It was one of the first native plants that I discovered when we moved here many years ago. Long time readers might remember that I built this garden around the native beauties I found all over the wooded edges of my yard. Sweet Betsy was hiding in the wayback backyard under the oak trees and I transplanted it to my new woodland garden. I remember carefully digging around it to get all the rhizome and roots and gently placing it in the garden. They survived and thrived despite my gardening ignorance.

Trillium cuneatum typically flowers from early March to mid April. It can be found in rich, mostly upland woods, but, it is especially happy growing on Middle Tennessee's Ordovician limestone soils (neutral to basic soil).  Trillium will be happy in your garden, if you give it a rich, moist soil, shade, protect it from browsing critters and keep aggressive perennials from crowding it. They can live for a long time and usually do not flower until they are several years old. It's found growing across Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Sweet Betsy is a great selection for your shade garden. Plants are hardy, drought-resistant (although they prefer moist soil), somewhat deer proof, and extremely long-lived.

Trilliums used to be a part of the Liliaceae family, but were recently moved to the family Melanthiaceae or. bunchflower family. 

 

There are over 50 species found worldwide with 18 calling Tennessee home.

Despite being known as Little Sweet Betsy it's the largest of the eastern sessile Trilliums, sometimes topping out at 15 inches tall.  In case you wondered, sessile means stalkless and what appears as a stem is actually an extension of the horizontal rhizome. The leaves, petals and sepals of all Trilliums come in groups of three. The three large, leaf-like bracts are typically mottled or striped, and has a single flower with three petals. The flower color can vary, but it is often maroon.

 Flowers have a sweet but faint fragrance (some say reminiscent of bananas), hence the common name of sweet Betsy. 

Ants collect and disperse the seeds of Trillium spp. They're attracted to the elaiosome, which is a large, lipid-rich structure attached to the seeds. The ant dispersal process is known as Myrmecochory. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes and put the seeds in their garbage (midden), where they "can be protected" until they germinate. Yellow jackets are also seed disperses. Sweet Betsy depends upon myrmecochory for survival.

It will be years before this one flowers

Sweet Betsy is attractive to bees, moths, pollinators and small mammals. When they say attractive to mammals, they mean small critters that like to eat the rhizomes. Voles decimated my collection a few years ago. How can I blame that sweet little rodent! I was looking for the Trilliums and found little tunnels under the leaf mulch. I did replace the plants and carefully planted them in a mixture of soil with shale, then covered them with a wire basket. It's working-so far!

Sweet Betsy is abloom and dancing with the Spring ephemerals in our local natural areas. Middle Tennesseans put on your hiking gear and head to one of our many parks. Davidson county residents, we are lucky folks to have fabulous Metro Parks nearby (Warner Parks, Shelby Bottoms, Beaman Natural Area are but a few). 

Closer to home, Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) can be seen in remnant woodlands  all over my neighborhood (and many others in Nashville). As long as our bee friendly yards aren't herbicided or replaced with non native monocultural lawns our native wildflowers~  Spring Beauties, Rue Anemone, Trout-lily, False Garlic, Blue-eyed Grass, Wild Sweet William and Sweet Betsy, will never disappear and will continue to delight us with their spring arrival. 

 

Trilliums are one of the most familiar and loved of the spring woodland wildflowers.

But, you don't have to take my word for it~Just check out Trails and Trilliums April 4-6th, 2025 in Beersheba Springs, TN. You can attend talks, hike and buy wildflowers. But hurry up registration closes March 30th.

xoxogail

The Particulars

Botanical Name: Trillium cuneatum
Common Name: Sweet Betsy, Little Sweet Betsy, whip-poor-will flower, large toadshade, purple toadshade, and bloody butcher 

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Family: Melanthiacea, Little Sweet Betsy falls within the sessile group
Flowering: flowers from early March to mid April. Showy, fragrant

Native Range: Southeastern United States

Zone: 5 to 8

Size: 1.00 to 1.50 feet tall and will spread to 1 foot

Bloom: Maroon to yellow to orange to reddish-green

Sun: Part shade to full shade

Water: Medium

Maintenance: Low

Foliage: Colorful

Characteristics: All Trillium species used to belong to the belong to the Liliaceae (lily) family,  but are now in their own family the Melanthiacea. They're are rhizomatous herbs with unbranched stems. Trillium plants produce no true leaves or stems above ground. The “stem” is just an extension of the horizontal rhizome and produces tiny, scale like leaves (cataphylls). (source)

Pollinators: produces pollen, but, I have never seen its pollinators! Beetles and other insects pollinate the flowers, attracted to their sweet scent.

seedhead

Propagation: Ants collect and disperse the seeds of Trillium spp. They're attracted to the elaiosome, which is a large, lipid-rich structure attached to the seeds. The ant dispersal process is known as Myrmecochory.  The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes and put the seeds in their garbage (midden), where they can be protected until they germinate. Yellow jackets are also seed disperses. Sweet Betsy depends upon ants for survival.

Wildlife value: Host plant for larvae of black-patched clepsis moth (Clepsis melaleucanus) and American angle shades moth (Euplexia benesimilis)
Comments: Never pick flowers or leaves, you will lose your plant. Each plant in the genus Trillium features three leaves in a terminal whorl. A single flower emerges on a stem which is either peduncled (on a stalk) or sessile (stalk absent). Trillium cuneatum is a sessile form. Can be browsed by deer and roots and rhizomes can be eaten by voles. (trust me they do get eaten)

 

 

 Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. On the fourth Wednesday of each month I share information about wildflowers and other native plants. Please join in if you like. You can write a blog post or share your favorite wildflower on social media. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not, and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers.

 

 

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener, Tennessee Naturalist and nature writer in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.