100 Species #48: Lily of the valley

[urbpan]

This spray of pink lilies of the valley (Convallaria majalis 'Rosea') came up below our eastern white pine trio.

Lily of the valley is a plant that forms a ground cover in forests, producing tiny but very fragrant flowers. It's a common sight in New England woods, but whether it was present there before European colonization is apparently in question. Some sources, like Cornell University, say it is native to northeastern North America while many others insist that it is strictly a European native.

I like the way it unfurls from below the soil, turning barren winter ground into a sea of green in spring. All parts of the plant are poisonous, though presumably it produces it's little red berries to be eaten by some animal. Perhaps it lures birds to eat the berries, and germinates the seed in the bellies of dead bird carcasses. I'm kidding, but if anyone is aware of the natural seed-dispersal method of this species, it would be interesting to know.

(I used the "wildflowers" tag because this plant is often encountered in a wild state, even though the individual pictured here is a cultivated garden perennial.)

Comments

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

What an utterly glorious painting of a photograph! That is just gorgeous!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Oh, well Geez, thanks! (The secret is underexposing the hell out of it.)