They’re so distinctive. There is something very proper and elegant about them, like they would never consider leaning, or demanding attention by being colorful, or blowsy and over-large. The most ornament they care to sport is some tasteful stripes.
This is from May 5, 2014. (I have quite a backlog of photos.) These are native to the east and midwest.
Jack in the Pulpit, Indian Turnip (Arisaema triphyllum)
The first Jack in the Pulpit of the season, a very dramatic black and green striped and slightly ruffled one! Some folklore from Wikipedia: “One account from the Meskwaki Indians states that they used it to determine the fate of the sick by dropping a seed in a cup of stirred water; If the seed went around four times clockwise, the patient would recover, if it went around less than four times they would not.” Native. Photo: May 3, 2013.
Jack in the Pulpit, Indian Turnip (Arisaema triphyllum)
Today I found their secret Red Wing Bay lair. Had to take a couple more photos because they are so photogenic. Arum family. Separate male and female plants, females ones larger, pollinated by flies.
The air was full of birdsongs — I was thinking, if the bird walk man were there he would be reading them like a story, but to me… it was like looking at a page of a foreign language that I don’t speak… beautiful but I couldn’t read it. Also when we came out of the woods onto the grassy trail, we scared a big wild turkey who had been ambling along at his leisure.
The really exciting find at Noanet was… discovering the secret lair of the Jack in the Pulpits! In bloom! Brilliant name. Arum family.
Jack in the Pulpit, Indian Turnip (Arisaema triphyllum)