Discover more from My Gaia
I saw the first Snow Trilliums of my life last week. They made me feel rather breathless for a few moments, they were so lovely. They are small flowers, nestled close to the ground in the woods.
I went to Jefferson County (Iowa) Park to hear avian ecologist Anna Buckardt, of Iowa DNR, speak. She talked about how to care for woodlands to make them good habitat for birds. Afterwards, we all walked a park trail to see forest management in action.
I learned a lot about trees. But what made me gasp out loud was some patches of Snow Trilliums beside the trail. They were inconspicuous among last summer’s brown leaves. I could have overlooked them!
Each Snow Trillium plant has a single white blossom, with three petals and three green leaves. Trillium, meaning — well — three.
Because of their short time above ground, they grow slowly. Those three leaves are all that they own to photosynthesize the sun’s energy and replenish themselves. It takes a trillium 7 to 10 years to grow mature enough to bloom. The plant will die if its flower is picked.
We found the Snow Trilliums only in one area. It was precisely where the forest managers had thinned out some of the trees and removed Amur honeysuckle and other invasive woody plants. The woods looked airier and more open there.
You notice the result of this kind of forest management because you can see a long way through the trees at mid-trunk height. Also, the lower levels are freer from tangles. A bed of leaves covers the uncrowded ground.
This is ideal habitat for birds such as Red-headed Woodpeckers. When spring arrives, we’ll also find Eastern Wood-Pewees, Baltimore Orioles, and other birds who benefit from open woods.
Managing for birds turns out to provide greater diversity of native plants. What is good for the birds is good for the forest, the flowers, and our own happiness too.
The Iowa DNR makes a great brochure about managing forests for birds. You can download it at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/Iowas-Forest-Birds.
Can't wait to see them. I'll keep a lookout!
Thanks for another eye-opener Diane!