(Guest post by Ohio University student Olivia Strauss)
On a spring hike, you may stumble across all sorts of wildflowers. Here’s how to identify a few spring bloomers!
When determining what kind of wildflower you are observing, note the flower shape. Some are symmetrical with petals that reach out from a central point, while others have an irregular pattern. Some flowers may only have two petals while others can have eight or more.
Take note of the color of the flower, size of the overall plant, arrangement of leaves, and season of the year it’s in bloom.
Here are four spring wildflowers common to southeastern Ohio you may come across on your hike:
Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) has loose, flat clusters of blossoms that are lavender or pink. It’s most common in midwestern woods and fields, and its branches may be 8 to 18 inches long.
Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans): has stems that are low to the ground and tend to droop to the side. Each blue flower has five petals.
White Trout Lily (Erythronium albidum) blooms as a single flower per stem and sports six white petals that curve backwards. The plant can grow up to 6 inches tall.
Virginia Saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis) has branched clusters of flowers that have five white petals with a yellow center. This plant can grow up to a foot tall!