By DARLENE PRINCE
prince@crescent-news.com
For people who like wildflowers, this is a great time of the year.
The weather is warm, the mosquitoes are not out yet, and aside from a few wandering ticks, there is nothing to stop a long, leisurely walk in the woods to look at the prolific spring beauties, the delicate Dutchmen's breeches, the white-petaled bloodroot and many more of these colorful spring bloomers.
At the Goll Woods State Nature Preserve near Archbold in Fulton County, dozens of wildflowers are in blossom.
Visitors can see trillium, bloodroot, Dutchman's breeches, harbinger of spring, hepatica, Mayapple, Virgina waterleaf, wild blue phlox, yellow trout lily and swamp buttercup.
Goll Woods' 321 acres is an excellent example of the Black Swamp forest that once covered a vast area southwest of Lake Erie.
Visitors can follow marked trails of different lengths through the woods. There is even an observation post built so you can stop and look out over the Tiffin River.
For visitors, there are several ways to identify a wildflower. First, check the flower's color, its number of petals and the arrangement of the petals.
Next, look at the leaves. Are they a single blade or divided? Are the edges of the leaves toothed or plain? Is the stem of the plant hairy or smooth?
It also is helpful to know in what type of area a wildflower can usually be found.
Most spring flowers prefer semi-shaded areas that are usually in complete shade by the time the wildflowers are done blossoming.
Spring beauties, with their white, pink or lavender flowers last about two or three weeks and are usually gone by mid-May. I always have a hard time finding Dutchmen's breeches as they come early in the spring and don't stick around long. Early April is a good time to look for them.
Trout lilies with their unusual brown-mottled leaves are blooming right now. They have yellow and white flowers.
In my woods, swamp buttercups bloom in May and the wild blue phlox are also out in May. The phlox also bloom in shades of lavender and pink. (By the way, phlox have a lovely, light scent.)
Bloodroot has white petals and a yellow center, somewhat like a daisy. If a visitor sees a flower that is similar in appearance to another wildflower, knowing what time of year a flower blossoms will be a big help in identifying it. In this case, bloodroot appears in the spring while most daisy varieties bloom in the summer and usually in open places such as fields, roadsides and along open edges of woods.
Wildflowers can be seen in any small woods or a larger one like Goll Woods. They can even be seen in some cemeteries and parks.
There are many excellent wildflower books to help identify each wildflower.
In Goll Woods and other parks, guided nature tours are often given. For more information about such tours, go online at: ohiodnr.com/dnap.