Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

In the woods

Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, not yet in bloom, in Prospect Park.

“He loved the woods for their freshness, their sublime solitudes, their vastness, and the impress they everywhere bore of the divine hand of their Creator. He seldom moved through them without pausing to dwell on some peculiar beauty that gave him pleasure […]” James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer.
Two days after taking the shot that starts off this post, I was in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Native Flora Garden. There, the may apples were blooming. Note that these flowers bloom underneath the canopy-like leaves of the plant, so you have to look for them.
They are one of the secrets of the woods.

mthew

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7 responses to “In the woods”

  1. Gerry

    Wren and I were also admiring these at BBG on Saturday. Seeing those well-hidden flowers made me wonder which pollinators would be intrepid and imaginative enough to find the flowers—they sure don’t advertise themselves to insects flying around (maybe their floral show is aimed at ants?). Just found what looks to be a good article that I’ll read more later on and thought you might enjoy.
    deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60727/1/jcrants_1.pdf

    Reply
  2. mthew

    Thanks. That’s a dissertation, so I’ll probably just stick to the abstract, intro, and conclusion. Basically, mayapples don’t produce nectar, so they do not reward pollinators. Honeybees love their pollen, but of course honeybees are not a native species and the mayapple is. Curiouser and curioser. It’s also clonal….

    Reply
  3. Tweets that mention In the woods « Backyard and Beyond — Topsy.com

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Matthew Wills. Matthew Wills said: Blog post: In the woods: Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, not yet in bloom, in the Midwood, Prospect Park. “He lo… http://bit.ly/cneMOF […]

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  4. Katie

    Have you ever eaten a mayapple? The fruit smells like apple Jolly Rancher candy.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Sounds like a good reason to forage.

      Reply
  5. Mayapple | Backyard and Beyond

    […] The plant also reproduces asexually, via rhizomes underground, which is why it is often found in carpet-like patches in the woods. It’s a woodlands ephemeral, emerging before most of the deciduous trees around […]

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  6. A Patch of Mayapples | Backyard and Beyond

    […] never seen so many Podophyllum peltatum fruits. This patch was up in the Finger Lakes region this past weekend.They aren’t quite […]

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