By Max Kornetzke, land manager
Ever wonder how spring wildflowers spread across our forests? Many unrelated spring wildflowers have developed a strategy for making sure their offspring have a safe home to grow.
Spring Beauties, Bloodroot, Dutchman’s Breeches, Trilliums, and some Violet species have unique fatty deposits on their seedcoats called elaiosomes. These lipid and protein rich elaiosomes serve as a dispersal mechanism by attracting a very particular type of critter.
Mature seeds fall to the forest floor and attract the interest of ants in the Aphaenogaster genus. Those fatty deposits are perfect food for the larvae of Aphaenogaster ants. They will carry seeds to their homes and remove the elaiosome, leaving the seed in their waste piles. This is the perfect protected place for the seeds to germinate. This mutualistic process ensures that each spring our woodlands are full of blooms; the beauty of which is a great reminder to appreciate even the smallest of creatures.
Photo of Bloodroot by Max Kornetzke