Deer Damage

About sixty days ago our Jack-In-The Pulpits opened flowers.  That was no small feat.  Our harsh and repeated freezes and frosts somehow spared these plants.  They timed their above ground growth appearance really well.  We were rather surprised to see them at all since the frolicking deer had last year broken off all of the visible plant parts.  Mature plants and young made an impressive but unexpected return this year.

Today three seed clusters looked vibrant in the low sun.  Once again their presence was a surprise since the deer damaged the plants once again.  The dried remains of a broken plant are supported by a stone in the background.  If the deer allow these seed clusters to continue to grow, the bright green seeds will turn a brilliant red.

We also have these plants growing in the shade garden near the house.  Our crop of fawns enjoyed a romp there that included pulling the plants out of the ground and chewing on the bulbs.  Some semblance of order was restored so now we wait to see if any of these plants will return next year.  If mature seeds appear, one of the clusters will be timely cut and placed where their grandparents grew.  These plants grow naturally in our woods so we have access to planting stock if it is needed.

How this picture came to be taken so close to the ground deserves mention.  Bending over while trying to focus a camera would most certainly have resulted in a fall.  With other plants close by a wide safe path in did not exist.  A nearby somewhat flat stone was selected to serve as a seat.  Most of the move down was controlled but the last bit was a free fall.  I told Becky that she might have to bring me my lunch.  That proved unnecessary as a return to a standing position was achieved.  My move up was totally awkward bur unassisted.  No plants were crushed and no bruises formed.  Clearly my judgement was less than solid but the picture that resulted is simply great.

Our Walk In The Woods

Our day started this morning with a trip to the back meadow intending to clear a fallen section of a White Pine tree that was blocking part of the mowed meadow.  With that task completed, a short walk to check on our now officially wild Cardinal Flower seemed in order.  We have a survivor with no help from people.  An additional walk into the forest seemed like the only thing to do.  Glacier ground ridge rock in all sizes litters this forest floor.  Beauty is everywhere.  Plants here must be left alone since the stony soil prevents their removal.

This wild Jack In The Pulpit is close to the first Trillium that we have ever seen in this section of our woods.  A stately Red Trillium was a welcome surprise.  Invasive Garlic Mustard is far less welcome and we feel compelled to remove it whenever it is encountered.

Purple-pink winged flowers are what we wanted to see.  Little is written about Fringed Polygala and its culture is difficult.  These dainty plants are in the company of rather nasty neighbors and their long term survival here is in doubt.  The large oval leaves and the white cluster of flower buds mark the presence of Wild lily-of-the-valley.  It is a horribly invasive native and will choke out nearby plants.  Escaped pasture grass is also in the picture and it is unclear which will ultimately reign in this area.  What is apparent is that the polygala is being strangled here.

A long pry bar aided the removal of clumps of this ground.  This was no easy task as roots from nearby bushes helped to hold the soil in place.  Each  soil block was placed in a container of water.  Swishing around that mass aided in the gentle removal of all parts of the weeds.  Intact civilized plants was our goal.  We accept the possible outcome that nothing will survive the move but we cannot risk placing these invaders into our shade garden.

These Starflowers could survive their move since complete root masses remained with the rest of the transplant.  Delicate accurately describes every part of these plants.  Our hope is that enough of the plants remains functional enabling a return next year.  Their pointed white flowers are quite attractive and a sizable patch would be a welcome addition to our collection of native plants.
 

The outcome with the polygala is far less certain.  We had a past experience where several plants with horizontal roots were connected to a single deep taproot.  Despite our caution today, only plants with the horizontal root were removed.  The web of forest soil is so tight that deep clumps are impossible to remove.  We did our best and these plants have been added to the list of transplants that will receive water nearly every rainless day.  Any survivors here will be treasured while those left behind in the woods should persist for the time that we will remain here.

Planting In The Rain

We are trying for the third time to find a successful location for Bunchberry.  Our first attempt resulted in a plant that barely held on while getting smaller each year.  Our second try featured bare root plants since our supplier located in the mid west could not ship plants in pots because of an invasion of jumping worms.  Those plants just died during their first year here.  This plant is by far the largest that we have ever seen.  If more than one plant had been in stock, we would have purchased three.  Perhaps when we return new stock will have arrived.  If not, we will go with just one plant.

Reading has given us additional information that might improve this plants chances of survival here.  We have no control over our elevation above sea level so this plant will have to adjust to where we are.  We can control the soil and this spot was filled with a mix of soil taken from under a Hemlock tree and a White Pine.  Poor acidic soil is reported to be where Bunchberry thrives in the wild.  A White Pine supplied the top mulch as shown by the cone.  This plant began to separate into pieces as the potting medium was rinsed clear but it was planted as a single unit.  Now we watch and wait hoping that the third time is the charm.

We were concerned about these Jack In The Pulpits.  Last year, following a generous set of bright red berries, something walked here and broke all of the plants.  The surface was littered with plant parts.  As is sometimes the case, worry was not warranted.  Eight beautiful plants have held their ground and are off to an impressive start this year.  Low temperatures and rain are in the forecast for the next several nights.  Perhaps the rain will offset the negative effects of cold air.  No seeds will follow if these plants experience frost.  This is intended to be a native plant garden growing as if they were in the wild so no protective cover will be in place.  Here again we will watch and wait.

Jack's Back

This spring has been a little hard on Jack.   Early flowers got nipped in the bud. OUCH!!!  This is not even the best side of this Jack-in -the pulpit  but it looks wonderful now that most of the nasty weeds have been removed.  Just ignore the dandelions in this picture.  Jack is back!!

Happy Mother's Day 2013

Fringed polygala, Polygala paucifolia, and Mother's Day have a shared history here.   We always search for these delicate wild orchids in the back woods around this special day.  Weather and a sliding holiday sometimes conspire to deny us these flowers on the second Sunday of  May.  Other years the blossoms and the holiday coincide.  This year no sign of the wild plants could be found.  Trees surrounding the wild patch are growing nicely but the extra fall leaves may have smothered these evergreen plants.  We will look again in several days.

Rumor has it that in the past, children of the farmers that toiled here brought handfuls of these flowers to their mothers.  If those tales are indeed true, many more of these plants grew here decades ago.  We have read numerous accounts of the decline of wild populations of Fringed polygala but none offer a reason for the cause of their disappearance.

The same two flowers appear in both pictures.  This is the plant that was moved from the woods to the shade garden.  A wire cage has covered this plant to protect it from the curious crows.  Given help, it has recovered from being picked at by the birds.  Several new shoots are evident and we will have two or three more clusters of flowers.  Moving wild plants always causes feelings of guilt for us but if the wild plants are gone while our captive one lives on, then we may have saved it here.

Jack-In-The-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum, has not been found in the wild here.  These plants were purchased so we have no direct connection with their harvest from the wild.  Frost sensitive, these plants have been burned to the ground more than once.  Tonight is the first of two consecutive frost warnings.  Plastic buckets are now covering our Jacks, but their beautiful display depends on just how cold it gets.  Despite the rigors of past frost burns, each of our plants sent up two stalks this year.  Flower survival and red berries would make a great picture later, but we have to get through these next two nights.

Pale lavender violets were the source of color today on the walk to the woods.  So far we have resisted the temptation to move these beautiful plants.