Click below to listen to my Garden Bite podcast: Dwarf Trout Lily – protected species
My area has had glorious days along with days that the wind and cold kept me indoors. It IS spring after all!
On a recent walk along a local creek I was able to enjoy MY IDEA of a Spring Opener! Viewing spring wildflower natives, one of which is, as the Minnesota DNR explains is an endemic spring ephemeral restricted to Rice, Goodhue, and Steele counties in southeastern Minnesota.
It is the only known vascular plant endemic to Minnesota. BTW, over 90% of plants are vascular meaning they have a system of xylem and phloem that enables the transportation of water and nutrients through their roots, stems and leaves. This amazing wildflower was discovered in Rice County in 1870 near Faribault.
As you can see in the first photo, these types of lilies are distinguishable from a “regular” white trout lily by it’s leaves. They have dark markings on them.
Ephemeral plants are short-lived, specialized plants that complete their entire life cycle—germination, growth, flowering, and seed production—within a very short, period, usually just a few weeks. They are quick to appear and just as quick to disappear.
Generally spring ephemerals are found in woodlands while the trees are leafless. According to the DNR believe that the Dwarf Trout Lily is a White Trout Lily that mutated when the last glacier came through the area some 13,000 years ago. It was listed as a Minnesota State Endangered species in 1984 and Federally Endangered in 1986. Here is a link to Minnesota Wildflowers.
You can listen to my podcast on your favorite platform. I’m also on the National Garden Bureau website with other garden-minded folks. Be sure to explore their entire website!