I have a wonderful wild PA population of bloodroot on my property, with a variety of leaf shapes and genetic variation in color.
This population is one that I consider as a sort of gift. Based on the size of the population, it’s been here for quite some time. However, I’d never seen it prior to a few years ago.
Certain parts of the woodland are completely overrun with invasive species. I would occasionally try to tackle them, but at the time I had bought into the anti-herbicide rhetoric and was fearful of using any sort of chemicals. And slowly, over time, the invasives kept spreading, and winning. I became overwhelmed, because it was too much for one person to tackle, especially trying to remove everything through manual removal. It was a losing battle.
Eventually I started spending more time doing research and learning from people who were out there doing the work. These weren’t the yard-spraying people. These were woodland stewards, native habitat managers, people who are restoring the land to native habitat. They were using herbicides, but doing so selectively. I learned what could be removed manually, and what was best treated with an herbicide using a method called “cut and paint.” I was finally getting somewhere
discovering the bloodroot
I’d finally cut and paint all the multiflora rose, privet, bush honeysuckle, winged euonymus and buckthorn that made a section of the woods impassable. I didn’t even want to go into that corner before, there was so much of it. But I got it done, and all that was left now was Japanese honeysuckle and wintercreeper (with a few bulblets of lesser celandine moving in). I’d listened to a recommendation from a friend and mentor of mine to put in paths. There were two benefits that came from this. First, I was able to get around the woods much easier. Second, it split the woods into manageable sections; suddenly I felt less overwhelmed with it all.
I was going through one of the paths with my Ho-Mi tool, which is great for targeting and popping Japanese honeysuckle nodes out of the ground. This was in the middle of winter – the best time to see where all the invasive species are growing. Suddenly not only did I pop a honeysuckle node out of the ground, a crimson root came out as well. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There’s only one thing that I know of that has a blood red finger-thick rhizome like this: bloodroot! I picked a spot off the path and popped it back in the ground before I kept going. Along this section, each Japanese honeysuckle node I popped out came with another bloodroot, then another, then another. I decided that maybe I should stop and rethink my approach so I stopped dislodging all of them.
bloodroot blooms
A few short months later I eagerly awaited the blooms that I now knew I could expect to grow in this area that had once been overrun by weeds. I was not disappointed. At first it only looked like a few, but over time, I started seeing more of them popping up. Some were leafed out while flowers from others were coming up. Seedlings began coming up as well. This wasn’t like cultivated populations that seem to all come up at once. Some were all white, some were pink. There were red stems and tan stems. Green leaves and blue leaves. Leaves shaped like birds (I called these the Phoenix roots, but they aren’t officially named), and other leaves are deeply lobed. Few had the very typical leaf shape that they’re known for. And I started noticing them everywhere – ones popping up in other areas in the woods.
I couldn’t believe it, all these years, I’d been out here looking for something native and largely disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of mayapples and spring beauties here, but I already knew that. I was hoping to find something, anything else, that wasn’t another invasive weed. And here were all these bloodroot coming up.
the gift of bloodroot
Obviously, I know these had always been here, somehow persisting among the invasive plants, despite them. But I’d been here many times before, throughout the years, and I don’t remember them blooming. I’d seen one, single leaf many years prior, but this was in a completely different section of the woods. I thought maybe I imagined it, because I’d never seen it come up again where I thought I’d seen it before. Seeing all those blooms and leaves felt like a reward for tackling the invasion as ruthlessly as I had leading up to that point. I was finally getting somewhere. I was finally getting sections of the woods cleaned up to the point where the native plants could begin to return.
Others had made themselves apparent since then, some of which I will also share in the shop. The bloodroot, however, marked a turning point for me, from one of despair to that of hope.
the bloodroot in the shop
I will still occasionally dig up a bloodroot rhizome here and there, but these days it’s usually because I’m adding new plants to the woodland garden. Don’t get me wrong, I still have plenty of invasive species to tackle, but this section is mostly clear of them. Other times, it’s because they’re growing in the path, where visitors might step on them. I also allow the ants to handle re-seeding them for me. They’ve been doing a great job of it thus far, and the elaiosomes on the seeds were meant for them, not me. If I happen to spot a seedling while I’m working, I’ll pop it out as well to put in a pot.
It’s for this reason that I am only putting them in the shop a few at a time. I do not intend to dig up and sell off all the plants on the property. There are many nurseries that do sell them cheaply in large bare-root bundles. Those are the ones that are likely digging them from the wild. While their status in the states is secure, it’s possible they may become extirpated in some parts of the country. I make sure that there are more than enough plants left to reseed the property, surpassing what little I collect.
I do know what it feels like to wish to restore my own little native woodland. Most of this area is completely developed, and the rest is protected or private property. I’ve been in your situation. Any plants I have growing in abundance, I will share. I hope that by offering these, it will also discourage you from considering one of the rapacious nurseries. All you need is a few, and they will reseed on your property.
some info about bloodroot…
I suppose I should share some information about these plants, though the most valuable and concise information is in the attributes list below. As I mentioned earlier, you will get one of the random genetically variable seed grown bloodroot growing wild on my property. Unless they’re grown out, I have no idea which one it is. In the woodland, they emerge over the period of at least a month if not a bit longer. Some begin popping up earlier, others may get going later. I’m not sure if this is a result of them growing in a large population, or if it’s determined by genetics.
Another thing I noticed about some ephemerals in general, some might skip a year when emerging after transplanting. I don’t know if this is true for bloodroot. My trilliums are popping up for the first time after planting two years ago. I have only half of the ramps I’d planted the year before coming up this year. Do not be concerned if plant a bloodroot and it decides to skip the following year. Due to the highly toxic nature of these rhizomes, I don’t know of any animals that would dig them up.
Because the leaves persist until around the end of summer, bloodroot is not considered a true ephemeral. However, because most people associate it with ephemerals, so I’ve tagged it as such in the shop.
benefits to habitat
Bloodroot flowers do not produce any nectar. However, there are a number of bee species that feed on its pollen. According to the Illinois Wildflowers website, there are at least 18 different species of bees that feed on its pollen. The bees are their primary pollinators, but are only active in temperatures above around 55 degrees. In addition to bees, there are at least six species of flies (its secondary pollinator), one butterfly, and one beetle known to visit it.
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