Spring Wildflowers in Milford

People anticipate the joys of spring for many reasons. High on the list is the search for nature’s emerging jewels called wildflowers. Eisenhower Park, the Solomon Tract on West River Street, Mondo Ponds, and other woodlands in Milford are great places to look for wildflowers

Trillium (Trillium erectum) in the lily family comes in several varieties including red, white, and painted. Trillium comes from the Latin word meaning three, as trillium has three petals, three leaflike parts called sepals, three leaves, and a three-chambered pistol.

Red trillium is maroon and sometimes called Wake Robin as it flowers when robins return north. Trillium’s underground stem or rhizome was chewed by native Americans and early settlers for treatment of gangrene; it was also used as an astringent and as an anesthetic for snakebite and other maladies. Red and White Trillium are found locally, while Painted Trillium is found in more northern areas.

The wildflower Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) possesses a curved and purple lined spathe which resembles a pulpit. Inside the spathe is a cluster of tiny white flowers in the form of a spadix shaped like a stick figure, which we call Jack. In the fall, the tiny flower cluster is replaced by glossy red berries which the native Americans would eat. The early American colonists also ate these berries as a substitute for pepper. The crystals of oxalite provided a counter irritant to bronchitis or sore throat.

Spring is also the time of year to look for yellow-orange Marsh Marigolds (Calustra palustris) in the inland wetland (swampy areas) of Eisenhower Park or the Solomon Tract. Medieval church festivals used this flower to celebrate the Virgin Mary, hence the name marigold. The leaves are very rich in iron and, when cooked, were used to treat anemia. If uncooked and ingested, they can be harmful.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) forms a solitary white flower on a leafless stem. The un- derground root contains a reddish juice thus the name bloodroot. Native Americans used the juice as an insect repellant, a dye for clothing, baskets, and warpaint.

Orchids in Milford? Pink Lady Slipper, a wild orchid (Cypripedium acaule) may be found in local woodlands in highly acidic soil. Sometimes called moccasin flower, the name stems from the Greek word cypris, which refers to a myth of Aphrodite, and pedelon, which refers to the saclike petal or “slipper”.

Insects seeking nectar fall into the “sac” and brush against reproductive organs, causing pollination as they exit. Native Americans dried the leaves and made a tea which was used as a tranquilizer and a cure for insomnia, according to folklore. A yellow lady slipper exists but is not as common.

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) is fun to discover in Milford’s woodlands. The mottled purple/brown leaves are said to resemble a brook trout, thus the name. Trout Lily has also been called Fawn Lily because in the spring the pointed leaves resemble a fawn’s ears as they emerge. Young leaves were cooked as greens and added to soups and stews. Leaves were also made into a poultice and used for swelling and ulcers. Native peoples also ate the small underground bulbs of this wildflower.

Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) reminded early colonists of pantaloons hanging upside down on a clothesline. Look for these white spring wildflowers in the woods in rocky drier areas.

Want to go hunt for yourself? Find a good wildflower guidebook, study up, grab your camera, and enter the woods to search for natures emerging spring jewels!

—Tim Chaucer