What happens to the time?

Spring has sprung in Ohio and it's time to start some fieldwork after a busy semester. I'll be starting my work in the southeastern states this year. I've neglected the penstemons east of the Mississippi for far too long. Here are a few glimpses of wildflowers in bloom this week in Ohio (plus a moss sporocarp portrait).  All of these photos were made at Clear Creeks Metro Park.

Fire pink (Silene virginica) - a beautiful red flower that catches one's eye in the forest.

Conopholis americana (squawroot) - a holoparasitic plant in the family Orobanchaceae. This is related to Hyobanche - the holoparrasite I study in South Africa. Conopholis is a root parasite that obtains all of its food, water, and minerals from its host plant - oak.

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)

Polytrichum ohioense - sporocarps.

I'm way too busy this semester!

I've not had a lot of time to do things I enjoy since the beginning of the year. Teaching two courses, writing three grant proposals, and getting a manuscript off my desk and "in press" has meant long hours and working through the weekend. This photo is from a year ago... I'd like to get out to do some spring ephemeral photography, but I just don't see it happening this year.


Wood Hyacinth - Whetstone Park.

Dutchman's breeches

Dutchman's breeches, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Blendon Woods - Dicentra cucullaria (Fumariaceae) - last of the blooms this weekend. By next weekend they will all be gone.

Steve and I did a short walk yesterday morning - allegedly to look for warblers. My ulterior motive was to seek out some of the spring ephemerals. I found one plant of Dicentra cucullaria with some good flowers still in bloom. I think I was very lucky to find these tucked away behind a large tree.

Along the Olentangy

Along the Olentangy, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

From last weekend, when the weather was lovely. We had a freeze last night, so it will be interesting to see what the flowers are like this afternoon.  This is Cardamine concatenata (Brassicaceae) - cut-leaved toothwort.

White Trout Lily

White Trout Lily, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another of our beautiful spring ephemerals: Erythronium albidum. The Olentangy bike path between Lane Avenue and the OSU wetlands is going to be spectacular in a few days as the patches of these wildflowers come into bloom.

Wood Hyacinth

Wood Hyacinth, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The spring ephemerals are one of the highlights of central Ohio. The flowers bloom before the tree canopy fills out, taking advantage of the early spring sunlight. For some of these small gems, you have to look for flashes of color amongst the dull browns of the leaf litter.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Yesterday, Steve and I went for a walk at Highbanks Metro Park. The next-to-last day of March, and it was the first time I had my camera out for the month. That's an unusual situation for me, but an accurate reflection of how busy my academic year has been.

We've had a very late spring this year - yesterday was the first nice day of the season. We had 5 inches of snow last Monday, which gives you an indication of how long winter has clung to Ohio this year. However, it looks as if Spring has finally arrived, and I will be working in some time to photograph the spring ephemerals this year.