It’s the spathe that contains skunk cabbage’s flowers. The flowers attract pollinators with their skunky smell. Yes, believe it or not, something actually likes this odor and is drawn to it. Skunk cabbage blooms early (it is a harbinger of spring), and its pollinators are a different cast of characters from the pollinators more familiar to us who are drawn to sweet-smelling nectar. Once you become acquainted with the disproportionately large leaf of bloodroot, you’ll never forget it. This native plant is also called “red root,” because the root exudes a red juice that has been used as a dye. Bloodroot is toxic but (like many poisonous plants) has been utilized by herbalists as a medicine. Like bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches and squirrel corn are often found growing in colonies. When not in bloom, look for their delicately compounded leaves to identify them. Consider either one for your native-plant garden. Both bloom in April. The plant belongs to the buttercup family. Besides pink, it also flowers in purple or white. Bloom time is March and April. The common name of “Mayapple” is indicative of when the plant blooms in the North. But the foliage is much more noteworthy than the flowers or the subsequent fruit (the so-called “apple”). As the leaves unfurl, they look like little umbrellas opening up. If you enjoy beholding such details, you may be interested in growing Mayapple. But this is not a plant that will interest gardeners who care only about showy flowers. Bearing the common name “bluets” or “Quaker ladies,” Houstonia caerulea is a common flower along sunny roadsides. Anyone who logs many miles on the highway in May most likely has spotted it growing in masses, looking ever so much like sugar that some passing giant has spilled. Although it looks pure white from a distance, a close-up look often reveals a hint of blue (thus one of its common names), in addition to a yellow center. It’s one of those plants that everyone “knows” without really knowing. Even long-time gardeners are frequently stumped when asked to name this flower. The Connecticut Botanical Society identifies bluets as a New England native plant, lists its height as 2 to 8 inches (it is most often on the low end of that range), and gives the diameter of the flower as 1/2 inch. Do not confuse it with mountain bluets (Centaurea montana), which is a larger and totally different plant. Houstonia caerulea is too weedy for most gardeners to be bothered with. If you wish to grow marsh marigold, first distinguish it from an invasive plant that happens to be similar in appearance: lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria). Both are in the buttercup family. But whereas marsh marigold will have 5 to 9 petals, lesser celandine may have up to 12. The latter is also a smaller plant, reaching just a few inches in height, whereas marsh marigold can reach 1 foot or more in height. A third distinguishing feature to help you with identification is that Caltha palustris has a clump-forming growth habit, while lesser celandine is mat-forming (a hint as to why it is such a successful invader). Examples of true ferns are Christmas ferns (Polystichum acrostichoides) and interrupted ferns (Osmunda claytoniana). Christmas fern is the type famous for staying green all winter (thus the common name) in frigid New England. Sheep laurel is related to mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). For identification purposes, here’s the difference:
Sheep laurel is a smaller plant (1 to 3 feet tall, versus 5 to 8 feet for mountain laurel).Sheep laurel has a narrower leaf, as indicated by their respective botanical names: angustifolia meaning “narrow-leaved” and latifolia meaning “wide-leaved.”
Azaleas and rhododendrons are in the heath family (Ericaceae), as is the namesake winter heath (Erica carnea). Rhodora azalea can be grown in partial shade. The “wintergreen” part of its name makes a little more sense. The growth habit and size of spotted wintergreen is reminiscent of Gaultheria procumbens, commonly called “wintergreen.” The two also often share the same shady habitat. None but the most ardent of native-plant enthusiasts will be interested in growing this tiny plant. Another part of common milkweed also strikes children as magical: the fluff that flies out when the pods open. Seeds hitch a ride on this cottony material, soaring far and wide on gusts of wind. Those luscious-looking berries are toxic if ingested. But they are quite pretty, and as tall as this perennial gets (up to 8 feet), a multitude of the berries are produced. The overall effect can be stunning. So if your yard is child-free, consider growing this native in a sunny spot. White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda, a plant native to the same region) also bears reddish-pink stems. Baneberry, too, bears toxic berries. Once the spores drop off from the fertile leaflets, those leaflets have performed their function; they shrivel and fall, thereafter, leaving the sterile ones alone. The resultant gap that opens up along the frond is the “interruption” referenced in the common name of this native of eastern North America.
