Northern maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) is the only maidenhair fern in Ontario, Canada. You’ll find it in deciduous or mixed woods in leaf covered hummus. I find it deep in woods that humans haven’t touched too much. It’s a good sign of that (humans not disturbing an area much) when you see it in the …
Heartleaf foamflower AKA creeping foamflower (Tiarella stolonifera syn. cordifolia) is native to Ontario and found on leafy hummus in deciduous or mixed woods. The leaves resemble miterworts, making one of the folk names false miterwort. I spot foamflower on the roadsides often, and mitrewort more on rocks in streams and deeper in the woods. I …
In Haliburton Flora, there are 9 clubmosses (Lycopodium spp.) listed. Although, since that survey was taken most of them have been reclassified. Genus flipping aside, by narrowest circumscription just 2 of these are Lycopods hereabouts, and 4 Ontario-wide. Clubmoss/Lycopodium species are vascular plants often referred to as fern allies, closely related to ferns and plants …
Marsh speedwell is the main native speedwell (Veronica spp.) you’ll find here, but we have quite a few species creeping around Ontario. All are edible and medicinal wild plants. Around Haliburton, the most common speedwells are marsh speedwell (Veronica scutellata) and thyme-leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia). I most often spot marsh and thyme-leaved in lawns left …
Bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis) has toxic berries, but it’s still an edible and medicinal wild plant. It’s gorgeous too, with pretty yellow flowers and stunning blue berries that form a gradient and marbled cluster of blue as they ripen. Corn lily AKA bluebead lily is common around Halliburton in deciduous or mixed woods on moist …
Spring-beauty (Claytonia caroliniana) is one of our first spring flowers. It’s a small, striped edible and medicinal ephemeral and one of our first available bee foods. It even has its own specialist bee, the spring beauty miner. You might see non-natives like crocus and coltsfoot bloom first in the spring, before our bees even come out …