Warren Gardner, a nature enthusiast, retired Norwin High School Biology teacher, and friend to Braddock’s Trail Park, is being remembered and honored during the dedication of a bench in his name. If you can’t make the ceremony on April 27th, please visit this bench throughout the spring. It was certainly his season, and his influence at the park has been a catalyst for many of the new features there. Above all, he is responsible for “teaching us about beauty”. Please meet in the parking lot at 4:30. All participants will then walk to the bench site near the waterfall, and an abbreviated wildflower tour will follow the ceremony.
According to the calendar, it’s officially spring. Snow seems to have made way for rain, but only some of the plants are appreciating the change. Meteorological spring hasn’t quite caught up, and the cold weather has most flowers “sleeping”. Many of the wildflowers you’ll view later in the season are readily seen around the park. It’ll just take some time for them to bloom.
Despite the bleak forecast on this particular day, harbinger-of-spring was still seen flowering in many areas. Narrow-leaf spring beauty, pictured below with harbinger-of-spring, was not yet on display but can be identified by long, thin leaves spreading from the base of the plant. If it’s not flowering right now, it will be within days, and it’s a must-see.
Narrow-leaf spring beauty (top) and harbinger-of-spring (bottom).
A few pink hepatica plants can be spotted near the footbridge. Under better conditions, the hairy stems will straighten to support rather large white to deep lavender flowers. Hepatica have a fairly short flowering period compared to other wildflowers at the park, so be sure to look for these over the next two weeks. It’s a BTP fan favorite.
Hepatica.
The main road through the park is a perfect place to spot a few other native plants. It’s a great time to see stinging nettle and waterleaf before they mature. Stinging nettle looks a little dangerous up close, and it can cause skin irritation. Waterleaf is easily found as a young plant with leaf colorations that appear as “water spots”. We’ll monitor these two as the season continues.
Stinging nettle (top) and waterleaf (bottom).
Remember, you can access more information about the plants in this post by using the monthly categories on this page, or by using the search option.
A dedication ceremony for the bench in memory of Warren Gardner is scheduled for Thursday, April 27 at 4:45. If you choose to help us honor his memory, please arrive in the parking lot by 4:30. Our first wildflower walk of the season begins at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, April 8.
With loads of snow in the forecast, it’s difficult to believe that the spring season is so close. For Braddock’s Trail Park, it’s already begun. Though our officially scheduled walks don’t start until April 8th, it’s not too early to visit the park to see some of our start-of-spring bloomers. Of that bunch, harbinger-of-spring claims to be the “bearer of warm weather” as its name suggests. Photos in this post were taken by Jack Boylan, including the one of harbinger-of-spring below.
Harbinger-of-Spring
You’ll have to look closely for this little guy, as it tends to hide in leftover leaves, or this week’s snow, and has a short stem. Raccoon Grove Nature Preserve in Monee, Illinois, has some great shots of this flower.
The recent warm temperatures and sunshine have created an environment for other wildflowers to appear early, including purple deadnettle and Persian speedwell.
Purple Deadnettle (left) and Persian Speedwell (right).
Both of these flowers can be found as early as March, especially near the parking lot of the park. This location makes sense, as the deadnettle tends to grow in soils that have been disturbed by animals, weather, or in this case, humans. Our purple deadnettle also performs its germination period during the winter months, and may even bloom during warm stretches of winter weather like the one we’ve had. Persian speedwell is also a winter annual. It gets the “speedwell” part of its name from the tradition of giving departing sailors a bouquet of blue flowers and urging them to “speed well”.
One of the most brilliant wildflowers in the park is now blooming near the footbridge. Braddock’s Trail Park’s hepatica population is sparse, but worth the look. White, pink, purple, and even a bluish variety have been seen. They can be identified by looking for a hairy stem and three-lobed leaves. A pink one is pictured below.
Hepatica.
Speaking of photographs, we’d love to have yours featured on the blog! If you happen to capture an image at the park on any sort of digital camera, smartphones included, please send it to cfederinko@gmail.com. Maybe you’ll see it in a future post!
Our first scheduled walk of the season is Saturday, April 8 at 10:30 A.M. See you there!
Braddock's Trail Park Wildflowers 
