Trout lily, Erythronium americanum. Photo by dogtooth77.

Here in Montana and throughout the northern temperate regions, spring flowers emerge with a welcome burst of color. In Montana, these ephemerals include the shooting star, buttercup, trout lily, and dozens more. It seems risky to emerge so early, as warm days can be followed by sub-freezing night temperatures and possible snow storms. So why don’t the flowers just wait? There must be an advantage, and it turns out there is.

Spring ephemeral flowers leaf out and bloom early to take advantage of a moist soils and plenty of nutrients in the soil provided by decaying vegetation from the previous year. They’re also taking advantage of the sunshine available before the shrubs and trees leaf out and shade the understory. Researchers have found out that these ephemeral flowers also provide a service to the forest ecosystem. By tying up the nutrients in their foliage, they hold them within the forest rather than allowing them to be swept away by spring rains. Then, as their leaves and flowers decay over the summer, those nutrients are slowly released for use by other forest organisms.