Right before me was a marvel that had always been ours. It always was there, dutifully every spring. But people busy with work and distractions or preferring indoor comfort, assumed there was nothing.
That was me. I had never realized how beautiful our land is. But now, looking out upon gently swaying Virginia bluebells and redbud trees loaded with pink blossoms, beauty smacked me right in the face. That view, wildflowers punctuated by the dark, solid forms of leafless oak trees stirred this question: how do people not know about this? A small sliver of Eden in suburban Illinois.
Modern Midwesterners like to groan about how flat and uninteresting the land is here. We vacation by mountains and oceans (or the Lake if that’s all we have time for). Many of us keep an eye out for an opportunity to finally leave.
There’s a lot to appreciate about the Midwest, but I can’t blame someone for being uninterested in something they don’t know exists—in this case, all the wonderful flora and fauna near our homes. I bet we would feel more settled and satisfied if we got to know the land where we live.
Spring is the time for woodland wildflowers, or spring ephemerals. The ephemerals take advantage of the short window in spring to burst forth and flower before the trees above leaf out and shade the forest floor. Spring beauty, bloodroot, dutchman’s breeches, trout lily, toothwort, wild leek, bluebells, and may apples are some of the wildflowers you can find in our neck of the woods.
I’m new to learning woodland wildflowers (and our native plants in general). Only in the last few years have I explored the woods this time of year and got to know its springtime inhabitants. As I identify more and more plants, my sense of place and where I belong in it grows stronger.
The woodlands are heritage I didn’t know I had. We must protect them. When I’m out on my walks, it’s common to see invasive understory brush. The honeysuckle and buckthorn are so common many people assume they are supposed to be there.
As the honeysuckle and buckthorn spread, they choke the woods. They leaf out before the trees do and block the sunlight from reaching the native wildflowers below. Shaded out, the spring wildflowers aren’t able to compete. That’s why it’s so important to remove invasive plants like honeysuckle and buckthorn to protect our native wildlife.
The Midwest is a subtle kind of landscape, but it’s ours. When you look closer, the intricacies and beauty reveal themselves. As you get to know a place’s charms, you might even feel a sense of belonging and a responsibility to preserve it from intruders like honeysuckle and housing developments.
So as a plant lover, conservationist, and proud Midwesterner, I urge you to get outside and enjoy the wildflowers.
Other Photos
Off-topic photos from April 2021
My 2021 resolution: Film photos. Every month for 12 months.
Film stock: Kodak Porta 400