April is my favorite month. Leaves are bursting from branches, flowers spring from the ground, and yours truly has a birthday. I have always loved the fact that I was born in the spring. It’s such a lovely time of year. One of my favorite parts about it are the beautiful wildflowers that start to bloom at this time. If you have a patch of yard that you’re unsure of what to plant, perhaps consider adding some native wildflowers?
Aside from being absolutely lovely, wildflowers provide a lot of food for early pollinators who are just waking up from their winter’s slumber. Some of the first beauties that appear are our native Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) who are often considered weeds due to their prolific nature. Instead of mowing them all down, if you can, keep a patch growing free. Mourning Doves and Dark-eyed Juncos eat violet seeds, and they serve as host plant for Fritillary butterflies. The caterpillars only feast at night, so the holes look like they appear out of nowhere! The leaves and flowers are also edible! The leaves can be used in salads and sandwiches like any other greenery, and the flowers can be used as edible garnishes or even made into violet simple syrup to add a splash of color to your spring drinks.
Another early spring beauty you can add to your native wildflower bed is the Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica). If you are lucky you can see them spread across the forest floor in a carpet of blue. These flowers are self-seeding, and if they like where they are, they can spread pretty easily. They attract bumblebees, butterflies, hummingbird moths, and hummingbirds themselves, among many other pollinators. What is even better is that deer and rabbits avoid them!
If red is more your color, give Fire Pink (Silene virginica) a gander. These gorgeous pinky-red flowers bloom early in the spring and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Their seeds feed juncos and sparrows. This plant is ideal for a rock garden and is drought tolerant once it has been established.
Finally, a beautiful yellow wildflower that is starting to bloom in April is the Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) or Wood Poppy. In addition to attracting bees and butterflies, chipmunks have been known to enjoy the seeds of this plant once the flowers have finished growing. It enjoys partial shade and is easy to maintain. The stems contain a bright yellow sap that was once used by Native Americans as a dye.
You can look for these native flowers in the wild at this time of year to get an idea of what is available. If you visit the Edith J Carrier arboretum, you will likely see Virginia Bluebells and Celadine Poppies. Their website lists a plethora of beautiful blooms you may find. Perhaps a stroll through their beautiful grounds will inspire a native wildflower garden concept or two. Keep an eye out for native plant sales that will soon pick up at this time as well and add some to your yard for an extra special pop of color.
