OTTAWA’S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
PHOTOS: ERIC FLETCHER
SPRING’S FLEETING BEAUTIES KATHARINE FLETCHER
Gatineau Park’s expert explains the wildflowers that don’t linger
“Ephemerals is the name we botanists give those wildflowers whose life cycle happens in two, or sometimes three to four weeks,” explains Catherine Verreault, the lead biologist in Gatineau Park. A scientist who specialized in botany, she’s an expert on plants. I’m sure many readers would recognize some of these short-term flowers in the Ottawa Valley’s springtime woodlands: white, red and painted trilliums, dogtoothed violets (aka trout lilies), Dutchman’s breeches, bloodroot, spring beauties and more fall into this category. Verreault notes, “Ephemerals typically emerge after the snow melts, before the woodland’s canopy of leaves cast shadows onto the forest floor. They have a very special niche in this brief period of time – after the snow and before trees’ leaves prevent them from getting sunlight they need for food and growth. Plus, they are a crucial early source of food for pollinators.” In spring, the forest floor is saturated with water from snow melt, allowing these ephemerals to absorb moisture and nutrients for their brief life above ground. Another aspect to ephemerals’ fragility is how many years it takes for a plant to flower. I remember my mother telling me it takes seven years for trilliums to blossom. I asked Verreault if this is true. “Yes. Trilliums take seven to 10 years to produce their first blossom, just like wild leeks. Bellwort and dog-toothed violets take four. Generally speaking, if a flower is picked (while leaving the bulb in the ground) it takes another two or three years for the plant to re-blossom.” Verreault’s message is clear and simple: ephemerals are fleeting plants which require special respect and protection. Gatineau Park is a wildlife sanctuary. It’s against the law to remove anything from it – plants, rocks, maple sap – and even picking mushrooms and raspberries. Those who do it risk fines for such activities. A bit over the top you might think? No, because that raspberry I’m tempted to pick is wild, natural food for birds and mammals – or the seed for the plant’s
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reproduction. As human beings expand territory, denude “vacant, useless land” for housing developments, we eradicate habitat and destroy the food, shelter, denning and nesting opportunities for the critters we so often proclaim we love, such as owls, hawks, warblers, salamanders, leopard frogs, foxes, deer and others. All to say that when we’re in Gatineau Park – or any wildlife preserve – practice LNT, meaning Leave No Trace, a non-profit organization that promotes responsible outdoor recreation. Some plants are so rare they have special protection. One of them is wild leek, which got this status throughout Quebec starting in 1995; obviously, it’s illegal to pick them in Gatineau Park. Verreault explains that leeks “qualify as ephemerals, too. “They actually flower in July, but their leaves die back … if you pick wild leeks, people usually dig up the entire plant. Even people who say it’s OK because they’re just taking some leaves are damaging the plant.” That’s because plants depend upon their leaves for photosynthesis, the process where they convert sunlight to chemical energy to fuel the plant’s activities and growth. So picking “just some leaves” damages a plant’s ability to survive. So, which Gatineau Park trails are best for seeing ephemerals? Verreault likes the easy accessibility of Larriault Trail, and adds, “Sugarbush, at the Visitors’ Centre is super, too, and during the last Sunday in April and first three Sundays in May, we’re offering guided wildflower walks.” You can check this out on the NCC’s website, ncc-ccn.gc.ca See you out there? Katharine Fletcher is a keen field naturalist and author of Historical Walks: The Gatineau Park Story and Promenades historiques dans le parc de la Gatineau. | www.katharinefletcher.com
Bloodroot
Dutchman's Breeches
Red Trilliums
Spring Beauties
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