April 23, 2011 - Wildflower Hike at Bender Memorial Forest - ACRES

Sixteen hikers gathered Saturday afternoon, April 23 at Bender Memorial Forest - ACRES Land Trust on River Road, west of Albion, IN to enjoy the early wildflowers.  Joann and John helped identify the flowers as needed and pointed out plants that will flower later in the season.  The following species were in bloom:
Spring Beauty - Claytonia virginica
Rue Anemone - Thalictrum thalictroides
Marsh Marigold - Caltha palustris
Skunk Cabbage - Symplocarpus foetidus
Dutchman's Breeches - Dicentra cucullaria
Toad Trillium - Trillium sessile
Common Blue Violet - Viola sororia
Cut-leaved Toothwort - Cardamine concatenata
Purple Springcress -  Cardamine douglassi
Sharp-lobed Hepatica - Hepatica nobilis  var. acuta
Round-lobed Hepatica - Hepatica nobilis var.  obtusa
Harbinger of Spring  - Erigenia bulbosa
Yellow Trout Lily - Erythronium americanum
Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis
Spicebush - Lindera benzoin

Spring Beauty - photo by Nadine Kline, hike participant.
Note the characteristic pink veins in the petals.

Bloodroot - photo by Nadine Kline

 

Yellow Trout Lily - photo by Nadine Kline

Hikers saw Eastern Box Turtles at two different places in the forest.

Eastern Box Turtle

Black cup fungus fruiting bodies

Black cup fungus fruiting bodies were growing on this fallen branch; the mycelia of the fungus are likely growing throughout the branch.  We saw these fruiting bodies at several places in the forest.

Another ACRES-sponsored wildflower hike is scheduled at Bender Forest for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 28.  We will  see quite a different set of flowers in bloom then.