The Joyful Botanist: Something Spicy
Tiny Spicebush flowers are easily identifiable three seasons out of the year. Adam Bigelow photo
Many of the first signs of springtime are subtle. There are little shifts in the breeze as the sun begins to feel a bit warmer and remains in the sky a little bit longer each day. Birdsong increases morning and evening, and other flying beings begin buzzing around looking to forage some pollen and nectar.
Many of the first spring blooms tend to be diminutive little flowers that may not stand out to most modern people who have been disconnected from nature. Luckily, they do stand out to the newly emerging insects who pollinate them in the earliest of spring times. Early pollinators like native bees and flies will seek out these early sources of energy and help to ensure their continued growth and spread by gorging themselves on nectar and bringing pollen back to begin their spring broods.
While I celebrate the return of the trout-lily (Erythronium spp.) as the first wildflower to bloom, I know in my heart and head that the first subtle shifts of the season start with woody plants, like shrubs and trees, and not with the herbaceous plants we call wildflowers.
Of course, the first flower of spring is not the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Neither it, nor the first pollinators it is supposed to help according to memes on my newsfeeds, the honeybee (Apis mellifera) is native to North America, let alone Western North Carolina.
No, the true first flower of springtime is the red maple tree (Acer rubrum) which begins the transition into spring long before the spring equinox. As the sap begins to flow again, the hillsides take on a faint red glow. These are the buds swelling into flowers that will soon tinge the mountains with their red and orange blooms.
Among my favorite spring flowers are those of the shrub called spicebush (Lindera benzoin). This small and spreading shrub with multiple branches is easy to identify three of the four seasons. In winter, it can be spotted while dormant due to the distinctive round ball-shaped buds along the stems. No other woody plant in our region has rounded buds like spicebush.
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In springtime these buds burst open to reveal bright yellow flowers that attract a variety of insects like sawflies (Symphata spp.), tachinid flies (Tachinidae family) and many different species of early emerging bees. Successfully pollinated female flowers will produce a type of berry called a drupe that contains one single seed surrounded by a fragrant flesh and a bright red skin that stands out behind the yellowing leaves come fall.
It is in the summertime that I used to have the most trouble identifying spicebush. Its simple green leaves blend into the mass of green that fill the woods in summer, and there is very little that stands out to the eye as distinctive. At least that is until being shown the small, petiole leaves that are found at the base of the more abundant and larger leaves.
At any time of year, you can crush a part of the plant to reveal its wonderful, spicy and lemony aroma which is found most intensively in the flowers, leaves and fruits of spicebush. This “scratch-and-sniff” test is a reliable trait that gives spicebush its name. Flowers and stems can be made into a delicious and medicinal tea that helps with inflammation and can relieve cold and flu symptoms. Plus, it tastes great.
As if all of this wasn’t enough to help you fall in love with spicebush, it also serves as the larval host and namesake of one of the black and blue iridescent butterflies that flit around all summer, the spicebush swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus). This summer, see if you can spot one of these caterpillars rolled up inside of a leaf. If you do, it will give you a big smile, as the markings of the caterpillar’s head look like the eyes and mouth of a snake. It won’t bite you, though.
(The Joyful Botanist leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
