THE SUN FULLY ILLUMINATES THE HUNDREDS OF BLOOMS ON THIS SPECTACULAR NATIVE SHRUB GROWING ON THE RICH UPLAND FOREST OF MORRIS PARK
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Rhododendron periclymenoides
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
On a cloudy day, this flower lights the place up. On a sunny day, the flowers are transformed into sparkling orbs bursting forth from this normally unassuming woodland shrub.
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
After we saw this, we purchased another one at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education where they have a Spring Native Plant sale this weekend.
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
We are happy that the nursery trade has been able to cultivate this native woodland shrub and there is a market for it.  It is a long process (years) by seed, so its propagation is best done by cuttings.  Our new specimen is only about 11 inches tall, with  a few branches.  Still , this must have taken some time and care to create, and we are overjoyed at its commercial availability.  We can only imagine how many years it will take to look like this naturally occurring upland forest beauty here in Morris Park.
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
We have been keeping a close eye on the area around the shrub. Â We remove the invasive vegetation that grows on it and around it, such as Japanese Honeysuckle, and Garlic Mustard. Â We have been pulling Japanese Stiltgrass from nearby as well. Â Asiatic bittersweet looms in the vicinity, and we see shoots come up from time to time which we immediately yank out. Â However, the most ominous and alarming invasive is the Aralia elata, the Japanese angelica tree, which is growing only 25 feet from this shrub.
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
However, on this sunny and balmy spring day at the very end of April, we are very happy to see the Pinxterbloom Azalea in full bloom.
IN WEST FAIRMOUNT PARK, JUST STEPS FROM MEMORIAL HALL, HOME OF THE PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM IN THE CENTENNIAL DISTRICT, IS A RICH RAVINE OF THE SCHUYLKILL RIVER. BLOOMING FLOWERS ABOUND IN THIS BEAUTIFUL HABITAT UNDER STRESS.
Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A rich ravine right here in Philadelphia. Â Abundantly growing Mayapples are still holding on amidst the invasive exotic English Ivy (Hedera helix).
Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvani
Erythronium americanum, Trout lily, prepares to bloom in the Sweetbriar Vale.
Trout lilies, Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Such a spectacular display of flowers.
Trout lily, Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This one is being visited by a pollinating insect. Â This moment is why the plant sent up a flower, so that insects would be attracted to it, and consume its nectar and ultimately the flower’s sticky pollen would be attached to the insect and brought to another flower, where it would be deposited and end up fertilizing the other flower.
Trout lily, Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The vale is without any trails, so getting these shots required going along the tops of logs or stepping very carefully to avoid crushing any plants.
Trout lily, Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
There is a small patch of the exotic invasive Japanese Knotweed growing here, pictured at the top left of this picture. Â About 20 plants. Â Some action was taken and the new canes were broken, which hopefully will slow them down enough until professional help can be secured to control this noxious pest. Â The Japanese knotweed was growing next to the most lush patch of Mayapples and Trout lilies in the whole vale.
Trout lily, Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
It would be great if the English Ivy was removed, a job that must be done in the winter months or at least after the Spring Ephemerals go dormant.  The Sanguine Root does have a branch office in our locally and nationally designated historic Victorian house just a five minutes walk from the Sweetbriar  Vale in the Parkside neighborhood. Perhaps one day we could take on such a vital project of removing the English ivy. This is not a technically challenging restoration like many of the ones we are taking on in Morris Park.  The Ivy is just pulled up, bagged, and removed from the site.
Trout lily, Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
We are also happy that an introduced tree, the Chinese cedar or Chinese toon (Cedrela sinensis) is being removed from the vale thru an initiative of the Parks and Recreation Department of The City Of Philadelphia. Â This tree was beginning to spread at an alarming rate. There are also some Norway maples that are being removed.
Trout lily, Sweetbriar Vale, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
With the Centennial District becoming a family destination, and with its close proximity to the Microsoft School Of The Future, this vale  could become a great way to display a Northeastern Deciduous Forest ecosystem to the general public and students. The potential of this vale to add to the Centennial District is great.  Currently it is used  by the general public as a bathroom for the recreation events that occur in the adjacent ballfields.
Parkside Neighborhood, West Fairmount Park-Centennial District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Historic Parkside neighborhood is the next door neighbor of Sweetbriar Vale. Â This is where the Sanguine Root has a branch office. From where this picture was taken was the former site of the Main Exhibition Hall of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, an historic event that changed American culture and introduced many exotic species to the park, some of which have become problematic pests. The Centennial Exhibition introduced Japanese culture and art to the west, and Americans went wild, from the exotic patterns that found their way on wallpaper, to the exotic ornamental asian plants that found their way into the yards of the well-to do and eventually into the common nursery trade and ultimately into the remaining natural areas where they went wild and took over. Â Â The wallpaper, however is truly exquisite, and can still be obtained from companies that have revived the original Japanesque patterns from old samples found on forgotten, covered-up corners in old houses.
JUST A SHORT RIDE FROM SHENKS FERRY WILDFLOWER PRESERVE IS THIS MAJESTIC GLEN FULL OF SURPRISES.
Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Martic Township, Pennsylvania
Driving by this  natural area on our way to Shenks Ferry, we saw this welcoming preserve with trailheads and a parking area. “We should try to stop there on our way back from Shenks Ferry.”  We did stop  later on and we paid no attention to what it was called and hiked on in.  We did not have much time. After a half hour in we started to wonder why we never heard of this place before.  What is this place called anyway? We could give it our own name.  How ’bout the Mayapple mountain?  The fern-oretum?  The Trillium slopes? The Hemlock Place?
The Wooded Ravine with Hardly Any Invasives?
When we got back to the car we were sure to take some notes, and we are definitely planning on returning. Â This is the Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve.
Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Trillium flexipes, Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
The lack of invasives here was a nice surprise as well. We saw a small patch of Lesser celandine (Rununculus ficaria) on a floodplain, only about 20 by 20 feet. Â That should be targeted right away for eradication. Â There was one specimen of the invasive exotic Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) that required action by the Sanguine Root environmental restoration team. If a West Virginia White butterfly (Pieris virginiensis) saw the Garlic Mustard in bloom it may very well mistake its flower for the flower of its larval host, the Cut-leaved Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata) a native flower we saw growing in Shenks Ferry, and most likely grows in Tucquan Glen. Â It could lay its eggs in the Garlic mustard which would poison the larvae.
Oh yeah, that Garlic Mustard? Growing right next to this hillside of Trilliums. Â This place is the last place in mind that should spark up a discussion of Garlic Mustard, but the fact that we saw just that one and none other is a good enough reason. Â I would be very happy to have been there and pulled the first and only Garlic Mustard in Morris Park. There was a point in time when there was just one Garlic Mustard plant in Morris Park.
Anyway, Check out this rocky hillside of Trillium flexipes. Moss-covered rocks and Christmas ferns abound.
There is a great article published by The Mt Cuba Center in Delaware written about the seed and Rhizome components of Trillium.  It is called The Dark Side Of Trillium, and it describes very technical aspects of the plant in easy to understand language and has lots of pictures of trilliums that have been dissected for the cause of science.  The  dissection shows the trillium in its embryonic form in the bud. The article also makes seeds that much more interesting if they arent interesting enough.  For anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of Trilliums or just the botanical nature of perennials in general, this is your reading material.
Trillium flexipes, Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
This was as far as we got, only about 20 minutes into the hike. Â When we found the Trillium patch, the sun disappeared over the top of the ravine. This Trillium colony was dense like a colony of Mayapples, but these were Trilliums.
Trillium flexipes, Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
The Trail was great. Â Some of it ran right along Tucquan Creek, and wound along rocky and interesting sections of this winding waterway. Here we saw a variety of plants growing next to the rocks. Â Trout lily, Mayapple and even Bloodroot which we found surprising because we usually associate this plant with more of an upland location. Â Claytonia virginica, the Spring beauties abounded in flower. As we got closer to the trail head and parking area, the trail moved up about 30 feet above the creek, and we got a feel for the upper part of the ravine.
Tucquan Creek, Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
The  Rich ravines of the Lower Susquehanna River Valley continue to dazzle.
Trillium Flexipes, Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
This place is worth a day trip from Philadelphia. Â If you get the opportunity, go visit the next door neighbor to the Schuylkill River Valley!
Trailhead at River Road, Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
