Flowering season of native plants in Vermont
Which native plant species have been observed in Vermont with a flower (or flower bud) either very early or very late in the season? The following search URLs can be used to answer this question:
Observations of native plants with flowers in Jan, Feb, and Mar: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?introduced=false&month=1,2,3&place_id=47&subview=table&term_id=12&term_value_id=13&view=species
Observations of native plants with flower buds in Jan, Feb, and Mar: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?introduced=false&month=1,2,3&place_id=47&subview=table&term_id=12&term_value_id=15&view=species
Observations of native plants with flowers in Nov and Dec: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?introduced=false&month=11,12&place_id=47&subview=table&term_id=12&term_value_id=13&view=species
Observations of native plants with flower buds in Nov and Dec: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?introduced=false&month=11,12&place_id=47&subview=table&term_id=12&term_value_id=15&view=species
Studying these lists, there are few authentic observations of flowers in Dec, Jan, or Feb. The aster observed on December 11 is one of my favorites. (There may be other non-annotated observations out there, I don’t know.)
Just for fun, here are my most extreme observations of native plants in VT with flowers:
Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) observed on March 26:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152724920
Rock Harlequin (Capnoides sempervirens) observed on November 8:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105527264
What are yours?
Comments
It is not surprising to see Hamamelis virginiana featured prominently on these lists, as it is one of the few species that is "supposed to" be blooming in the late fall and winter.
My earliest flower in Vermont was Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) observed on March 13, 2020 in Leddy Park.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39948540
My latest flower in Vermont was Common Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) observed on Nov. 3, 2019, also in Leddy Park.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35283238
Thanks @tsn I'm not able to recognize the various flower parts of Hamamelis virginiana, so I'm not sure when I'm actually looking at a flower.
Another interesting fact is how the woody plants dominate in the very early spring. Except for Symplocarpus foetidus (which is a bit of an anomaly), the woody plants tend to flower first.
My earliest flower was a Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) observed on April 4, 2021, at the walking trails by the UVM Hort Farm.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/142292059
My latest flower was a species of Violet (Viola spp.) observed on Nov. 4, 2023, in Franklin, VT.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189982201
As of today, I have a new late-flower record: Achillea millefolium on Nov. 14, near North Ave. in Burlington:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/191052646
FYI, I added search URLs for plants with flower buds.
@tsn getting back to Hamamelis virginiana, I found the following numbers of plants with flowers:
Nov: 26
Dec: 6
Jan: 3
Feb: 0
Mar: 0
That's all I could find.
Interesting.
Just for fun, I have now posted observations of Senecio vulgaris in Burlington, VT, with buds and flowers on both:
Dec. 31: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/195385688
Jan. 1: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/195464745
@tsn that's amazing!
I found a budding skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) yesterday (Feb 27) in South Burlington: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200716447
It was smelly :-) so flowers can't be far behind.
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