What is it Wednesday: April 7, 2021

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

April 7, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

These pretty spring wildflowers are called bluets. 

We haven’t seen any bluets yet at Lutherlyn this year, this is a photo from a previous year – so far we have seen coltsfoot and dandelions, and the spring beauties and bluets should be coming out soon.

These early delicate spring wildflowers are sometimes known as spring ephemerals. They bloom briefly early in the spring, taking advantage of the time when lots of sunlight reaches the ground because there are no (or only very small) leaves on the trees. Late April and early May are a great time to see spring ephemerals.

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: March 25, 2020

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

March 25, 2020. 

And the answer is....

This is a newly emerging coltsfoot flower. 

Coltsfoot is one of the earliest flowers of spring, and one of the few flowers that emerges before the leaves of the plant develop. (It is sometimes called son-before-father because of the this.) In this photo, the flower hasn’t opened yet. Just two days after this photo, with some warmer and sunnier weather, the bright yellow dandelion-like flowers were fully open all over the place. 

One feature of the coltsfoot flower that is very distinctive, and helps distinguish it from dandelions, is the shape of the stem. The stems of the coltsfoot flowers have alternating “scales” reaching up the stem - these are very visible in the initial picture. Dandelion stems are smooth green, hollow, and when they break a milky sap oozes out. Coltsfoot stems are not hollow and do not have milky sap.

Coltsfoot are among the wildflowers known as spring ephemerals - plants that flower briefly early in the spring. Most spring ephemerals take advantage of the opportunity to flower on the forest floor in early spring because there are no (or very small) leaves on the trees, which allows far more sunlight to reach the forest floor than later in the summer. Coltsfoot flower in the same time frame, and briefly, but are usually found on the edges of forests in open spaces and on recently disturbed ground, rather than in full forest. 

Coltsfoot is a sure sign of spring – we hope you are finding ways to enjoy the natural world, and hope to see you sometime soon at Lutherlyn. Check out www.Lutherlyn.com for more on all our programs. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: May 1, 2019

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on May 1, 2019. 

And the answer is....

Hikers to Chapel Rock this week were able to see four different kinds of violets in one hike! 

The dark purple one in the bottom left is the common blue violet. 

common blue violet

Bottom right is the yellow forest violet. 

yellow forest violet

The light purple one in the upper right is the northern bog violet.

northern bog violet

And the small white one in the upper left is the Canadian violet. 

Canadian violet

Lutherlyn has one more violet species: the marsh blue violet, which has a very long stem, is found in wet areas, and which we sometimes see between the Sugar Shack and Upper Lake.

We love identifying wildflowers while walking the trails with groups! For more about how LEEP can help you enjoy the sights on your walks through nature, check out www.Lutherlyn.com/ee. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: April 24, 2019

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

April 24, 2019. 

And the answer is....

This lovely wildflower is trout lily. It is another one of the spring ephemerals, which bloom for a short time before the forest floor is shaded by the full foliage of trees. It isn’t one of the earliest, but it is one of the fanciest looking!

To find out how LEEP can help you learn about the life bursting out all around us in nature, check out www.Luthlerlyn.com/ee! 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: April 10, 2019

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

April 10, 2019. 

And the answer is....

Spring beauty is actually the name of this small flower, which is one of the first to appear in early spring. It is in the category of wildflowers known as spring ephemerals: flowers that bloom quickly on the forest floor early in spring, before the leaves of the trees have emerged to blanket the forest in deep shade.

We often see our first sighting of spring beauties each year on the trail to Chapel Rock, during LEEP staff training in the first week or two of April, and that is when and where this one was spotted. 

The practice or study of tracking the changing of the seasons by tracking when certain animals, plants, and phenomena are observed year to year is known as phenology. It is a fun hobby and can also be an important scientific tool for picking up on trends changing over time. 

 Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!