The season of spring ephemeral wildflowers is well-underway and is reaching its peak in the southern part of our county; but there’s still a way to go in the northwoods of Oakland County. However, if you wait too long for a woodland walk, you will miss this colorful short-lived show of nature’s spring ephemerals altogether. But just what is a spring ephemeral?

When the word ephemeral is used to describe wildflowers, it means the blossoms are short-lived. The word ephemeral was originally a medical term meaning “lasting only one day.” Ephemeral is not used very often in relation to woodland wildflowers, but it’s an accurate and descriptive word since woodland wildflower blooms last only for a very short time, and some only for a day.