March 19 - Siberian Squill and False Rue Anemones

Today was warm! -- 78 degrees when I got out of work in late afternoon. Trees and flowers must have been assured that spring weather is really here because they started to bud and bloom.

I made it to Shubel Park kind of late -- around 6:30 - but could see that it is starting to get green.

At the top of the hill, I'm greeted by a beautiful carpet of flowers, the kind you'd expect to see in a Walt Disney cartoon.

Close up they look more purple.

The stamens point down, and some of them look like they are closing up for the evening. For the longest time I could not identify them because they are not in any Michigan wildflower book. But thanks to the Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter, I found out that they are Silberian Squill (scilla siberica), a non-native plant. Despite its beauty, it is associated with evil. (See below.)

Scilla siberica / Siberian squill

Here's an excerpt from Nature Gate website:

The whole plant is poisonous and it is an ingredient in e.g. rat poison. Like many poisonous plants Siberian squill can also be used as a heart medicine if it is administered in the correct dosage. Siberian squill is connected with many beliefs, the oldest of which go back to ancient times: the scientific name of the genus is related to the goddess Scylla of Greek mythology, a beauty who was tuned into a terrible sea monster. The superstitious people long regarded Siberian squill as a flower of witches and evil spirits which shouldn’t even be stepped on. It is doubtful that anybody would feel inclined to trample on this herald of the spring, even though its beauty can be enjoyed without any fear of evil spirits.

The next flower I saw was a False Rue Anemone. It grows in forested areas but blooms before the leaves come out, so it can get some sun.

The  word "anemone" comes from the Greek word for wind "anemoi" and are called this because they tremble in the wind. True to its name, the flower head trembled continually, even though there was barely any wind. The trembling is caused by the thin stalk. You can tell these are False Rue Anemone because the leaves are deeply notched but smooth. Also, it has five petals. Rue Anemones might also only have five petals, but they might have more.

March 15 - A wildflower by any other name

Today again was beautiful, sunny, and warm (about 70 degrees!), so I decided to go back to MSU Dog Park to find the first wildflower I saw on March 12. MSU Dog Park, which really isn't a dog park but an agricultural display ground, is one of my favorite places to take a walk. 

Beautiful MSU Dog Park. Tawny brings a stick.

Throw it!

Of course Tawny picked up a stick and asked me to throw it for her. 






I didn't notice any flowers right away but did enjoy this beautiful pine grove.

A pine lane.

We walked around some and the dogs amused themselves, Tawny by chasing geese, 

Tawny chases geese.

and Max and Phoebe by having a good roll in the grass...

Max and Phoebe find a good spot to roll in the grass.

Max enjoys his roll in the grass.

...over and over it seemed.

Phoebe is pleased with herself as she finishes.

I finally see a flash of yellow in the grass! Could this be the wildflower I am looking for?   

A wildflower?

Well, not quite. But it is proverbial that one man's weed is another man's wildflower -- or at least, it should be proverbial. Why shouldn't a dandelion be called a wildflower, just because it is common and hardy?

Driving home I discover that Max and Phoebe stink to high heaven, and need baths. They must have been rolling in something quite nasty. 

So I learn, from the dandelion and the stinky dogs, that even the unpleasant and inconvenient can still be a source of joy -- for somebody, anyway!

March 13 -- Meet my dogs

I looked for wildflowers in Shubel Park today, a little peninsula of land bounded by the Red Cedar River. The weather was sunny and warm -- about 60 degrees. As is usual for this time in Michigan, everything is the same muddy brown.

Late winter brown in Michigan.

I didn't find any flowers, so I might as well introduce you to my dogs. If you look closely you can see two of them in the photo above...Sammy the Sheltie looking for squirrels in a tree on the left, and Tawny, a Tennessee High Stepper, fishing trash from the river.

Tawny finds a toy to play with.

Tawny always finds a plastic bottle for us to play fetch with. Today was no different.






And of course, I must throw it for her. 

Throw it!

Sammy guarding a tree from squirrels.

Tawny is the only dog interested in swimming and fetching. 


Sammy would prefer to spend his time barking at squirrels. This is why he is fairly tubby. 

Phoebe with a bear cub cut

Phoebe is supposedly a Pomeranian, but she doesn't really seem to be a dog. She looks more like a bear cub and mostly just wants to be held.

What does Max see?

Max, a Chihuahua/Toy Poodle mix, is small but mighty-hearted. And he's spotted something! I look to see what it is.  

Deer!

March 11 -- Found first wildflower!

I'm not a flower expert -- just someone who appreciates the beauty of nature. I especially like wildflowers because they don't require any work! So I thought it would be interesting to note when the flowers come and go, to make them easier to spot next year.

The first really nice spring day of the year here in Lansing, Michigan, was Sunday, March 11. It was sunny, a bit breezy, but warm enough to go without a coat -- about 60 degrees. 

My two daughters and I took our four dogs to MSU Dog Park in East Lansing to enjoy the day, and found some tiny daisies growing close to the ground. I think they were fleabane. Attached is a picture that looks very much like one of them. Next time I'll provide my own pictures.

Fun fact: John Parkinson, who wrote "Theatrum Botanicum" in 1640, said that fleabane "bound to the forehead is a great helpe to cure one of the frensie," "frensie" meaning a "state of violent mental agitation." 

Maybe that's why they sang: "If you're go-ing to San Fran-cisco, be sure to wear some flow-ers in your hair..." Or maybe just the shock of having a flower pasted to your forehead would be enough to make your stop and wonder what the heck is going on!