The vernal splendour of flowers in herb-rich forests
The coming of spring is first felt on the floor of herb-rich forests, in the field layer, which the season covers in flowers. Wood anemones, hepaticas, gageas, corydalises and cowslips are all in a hurry to bloom before the leaves of trees grow big enough to cast a shade over them. The most impressive are wood anemones, which around Finnish Mother’s Day in early May can cover the entire forest floor in a continuous carpet of flowers. Pollinators have their work cut out for them trying to attend to every flower.
Important: let the flowers enjoy spring and only pick them with your eyes or camera!
Spring bloomers have adapted to flowering during the relatively cold and bright early spring, when the ground is still moist after the winter and the field layer is not yet shaded by the leaves of trees. The intense bloom lasts for a few weeks. By the time summer rolls around, these early species have fallen under the shade of other plants, with some wilting entirely. But there’s nothing to worry about, as the plants’ underground parts and new seeds ensure that next spring will be full of flowers once again!
