An Outsider's View

Unnoticed flowers of the springtime

Story and photos by Jim Murtagh

You can walk the same path many times and never sec it for its full beauty. The broken twigs, the weathered rocks, and the tall grasses may catch your eyes for a moment, but seldom will they hold your attention. Walk that path long enough, and one time it will seem barren, and you might not know what exactly is missing. The rocks, and branches still cover the ground, but something has changed. When the air starts to chill and the grass is covered in early morning frost, the wildflowers leave, not to return again until the spring. These little flow­ers are responsible for filling the emptiness in the sometimes barren outdoors. Wildflowers make up a small world, and if you're not careful where you walk you will crush them, and if you don't look as you go you will miss them.

Now is the time to visit the miniature world of the wildflowers. Walk the banks of the Susquehanna along the railroad tracks and see it for yourself. For the next few weeks, millions of flowers will start blooming and they will quickly cover the ground. While you might not notice the flower's presence, you will definitely feel their absence.

There are several varieties of flowers that grow along the paths you walk. If you were to find any one of them in your mother's garden she would probably ask you to remove that weed. But then, what is a weed, but a flower where you don't want it?

Daffodils are among the many wildflowers presently blossoming throughout the area.

There are many families of wildflowers that cover the landscape, but a couple are more abundant than the rest. An easy species to recog­nize is the Dutchman's Breeches. This species gets its name from its peculiar flower which resembles an inverted pair of pantaloons (a type of baggy pants which are tied at the ankles). My first impression of this flower was that it resembled a tooth, because of its milky white color and awkward shape. A member of the poppy family, the stalk is usu­ally 6 to 12 inches tall.

An intriguing little flower you should look for is the Bloodroot. Its name might hint excitement, but the flower is a contradictory puritan white. One single large leaf sheathes the flower and the stalk, during its springtime emergence. Pull the flower from the ground to get a closer look, but be careful not to squeeze the root or your fingers will be cov­ered in a milky red sap. Reaching a height of nearly ten inches, this flower is often found in the shade of thick forests.

Amidst the. white blooms of the Dutchman's Breeches and the Bloodroot, a yellow bud may catch your fancy. The flower is probably Adderstongues, a delightful plant that rarely tops 7 inches. Adderstongues grow from small bulbs which are often edible when cooked. The plant is characterized by mottled brown markings on a basal light green leaf. A short stalk holds a 6 parted flower which is usually yel­low, but occasionally white or violet. This member of the lily family is sometimes called a Trout Lily, and blooms from March to May.

The small world of wildflowers eludes all but the most observant onlookers.

There are so many other flowers that fill the woods along the banks of the river that you need to take some time to see them. Find some Squirrel Corn or Tiger Lilies, and notice the effect they have on their surroundings. Sec for yourself that indeed the wildflowers com­plete the outdoors picture. Look up species which are unfamiliar to you in a wildflower identification guide to find their proper names.

The world of the wildflower is small, so you must train your eyes to look where they are used to just glancing. Discover wildflowers once, and they will start to become an essential part of the time you spend in the outdoors.