Observe Spring Ephemerals - Carefully!

[Kathy McGlathery]

The soil has thawed and is soft again, we have had some rain, the sun is out - and we are joyful as our region's trees leaf out and our spring ephemeral plants emerge. This time of year, we are delighted to find and document the ephemerals, and we are excited to see your observations! What could possibly go wrong?

A word of caution is called for: as you scout for plants and take those photos, please be careful of where your feet are, and stay on the trails! 

Over the years, we have seen a decline in the populations of some of our most precious tender wild plants. There are a variety of reasons for this decline, but surely human pressure is a factor. Many times, our leaders need to ask people to step back because they are about to trample a tiny plant, compact delicate soil, endanger something rare, or stand on the very spot where we know a plant will emerge as it has in years past. We need to stay on the paths.

Like traditional flower and vegetable gardens, wild plants need room for their fragile sprouts to emerge from soil that is not compacted. So that they can thrive, spread, and have their seeds take root and send up healthy shoots, please don't tread nearby. Tender plant shoots also intermingle and sidle up to the new leaves of other tender species. Colonies of plants spread during the first few weeks they come out and without knowing, we can step on their underground expanding growth. Plant roots that need air and water sometimes spread outside of the circle of their leaves. Walking on those roots interferes with their work. Standing off the path and next to a wildflower is very likely to impinge on its flourishing, and on its neighbors.

During this spring, let's be careful observers of EwA's Eco-Ethics and EwA's Acknowledgment of Biodiversity, Lands, and People, which says in part 

"We acknowledge that we are part of the incredible biological diversity of life and we promise that we will tread lightly on the paths that we walk, study and enjoy." 

Stay on the trails, skip the close-up cameo plant portraits if that means leaving the trail, and protect our habitats. Be gentle and thoughtful about giving our tender ephemerals the best chance to proliferate. 

We thank you and we love that you are out looking at nature with EwA. Enjoy the bursting out of spring!