Well, I'm off on a month of flowers! First up- my newly opened Jack in the Pulpit. It doesn't look like it in this shot, but this little guy isn't more than 5 inches tall.
Some of you were quite curious about this little guy, so I'm passing along the information from my Audubon book:
Jack-in-the-pulpit is also known as Indian Turnip. It belongs to the Arum family. Its distinctive formation grows beneath large leaves. The flower is a curving ridged hood (the spathe or "pulpit") is green or purplish brown is often streaked or mottled. The hood envelopes an erect club (the spadix or "jack") and grows 2-3 (5-7.5 cm) long. The spadix bears tiny separate male and female flowers at the base. One or two long-stemmed leaves, three-parted, veined and dull green can usually be found growing off the stem. Flowers appear from April until June. The fruit is a cluster of shiny red berries and it appears on the spadix in late summer or fall. Jack-in-the-pulpits like to grow in damp woods and swamps and range from Southern Quebec and New Brunswick through the Appalachians and coastal plain to Florida and west to Louisiana and eastern Texas. Some authorities recognize one species, and others three, based on minor differences in leaves, spathe, and size. Because of the needle-like calcium oxalate crystals in the underground tuber, it is peppery to the taste and causes a strong burning reaction if eaten raw. This unpleasant property can be eliminated by cooking, and American Indians gathered the fleshy taproots (corms) as a vegetable.
@espyetta Not me, but my camera was- thank you MaryBeth! @httpgeffed Thanks Colleen! I'll be popping in and out of that challenge too! Thank goodness for ACE accounts!
Thank you Kerri, Sarah, Taffy, Rick, Caroline, Bev, Sally, Phil, Jackie, Maggie, Alia, Marloes, Dione, and Donald! I appreciate your views and comments- I'll try to get you another shot soon to put it in perspective for you. And for those of you who wanted to know more about the plant I'll post that later today- on my way to take a walk now in search of more flowers!
Wonderful perspective! I've been keeping an eye out for ours, but nothing yet. I, too, hope to photograph and post many of the spring wildflowers this year.
@roejan You're back!!! I'm so glad- I still linger over the shots of yours that I fav'd when I thumb through my favorites- especially the bird shots! So good to "see" you again!! Thanks Roe Jan!
When I was a kid in Connecticut playing in the woods behind my house, it was a treat it discover a jack in the pulpit and trillium hidden among the trees. Seeing this brings back fond memories.
i have not seen any of this around here, not even at the pavillion. maybe i should ask them if they could get one. the texture and patterns of yours is similar to a brazilian flower i shot last year http://365project.org/summerfield/365/2012-06-02 does this open up more like the peace lily or the calla lily? lovely patterns and colours.
@mhatch Thank you Mark! @roddy Thank you Suze! @vposey Thank you Vickie! @allie912 Thank you Allison! Glad it brought back good memories for you- me too! @smithak Thank you Smitha! @la_photographic Thank you Laura- it was a bit tricky to get because it's so small! @summerfield If you have them they will probably be in a wooded area where plants like ferns grow. They like moister, shadier types of environments. My guess is they might be in the same family/genus of that plant- but I'd have to look it up. This is how this plant will look the whole time. What you don't see here (but will see in the shot I'm posting today) is how the reddish part actually curls back over the front of the plant- forming the pulpit that "Jack" stands in.
Thanks for suggesting the May-flowers theme. Great idea. Love this "jack" shot at the first stage. I have many of these on my property. they aren't up yet but I bet any day now!
@tanja_1211 Thanks Tanja! @barbsmith Thank you Barb! Wish I had more! So far they're not multiplying as quickly as I thought they would- but I can always get more where these came from (a friend's wooded property). @potsbypam Thanks Pam!
@httpgeffed Thanks Colleen! I'll be popping in and out of that challenge too! Thank goodness for ACE accounts!
Thank you Kerri, Sarah, Taffy, Rick, Caroline, Bev, Sally, Phil, Jackie, Maggie, Alia, Marloes, Dione, and Donald! I appreciate your views and comments- I'll try to get you another shot soon to put it in perspective for you. And for those of you who wanted to know more about the plant I'll post that later today- on my way to take a walk now in search of more flowers!
@roddy Thank you Suze!
@vposey Thank you Vickie!
@allie912 Thank you Allison! Glad it brought back good memories for you- me too!
@smithak Thank you Smitha!
@la_photographic Thank you Laura- it was a bit tricky to get because it's so small!
@summerfield If you have them they will probably be in a wooded area where plants like ferns grow. They like moister, shadier types of environments. My guess is they might be in the same family/genus of that plant- but I'd have to look it up. This is how this plant will look the whole time. What you don't see here (but will see in the shot I'm posting today) is how the reddish part actually curls back over the front of the plant- forming the pulpit that "Jack" stands in.
@barbsmith Thank you Barb! Wish I had more! So far they're not multiplying as quickly as I thought they would- but I can always get more where these came from (a friend's wooded property).
@potsbypam Thanks Pam!
I've added some info on Jack-in-the-pulpits in the commentary above just for you!
@summerfield Thanks Vikki!
@daisy Thank you Kathryn!