Spring Ephemerals in Your Backyard: A Webcomic

· by · in Blog, Environment. ·

Written and Illustrated by Uma Nagendra

They have been sleeping for nearly a year, but now is the time to awaken

10383880_668984881812_1885009311966321719_nUma Nagendra is a PhD Candidate at the University of Georgia and became interested in studying natural disasters since Hurricane Katrina hit her hometown of New Orleans.  She enjoys finding creative ways to demonstrate complicated ecological concepts—preferably if it involves running around outside or drawing pictures.  When not crawling over downed trees in North Georgia, Uma enjoys aerial circus arts and all kinds of dancing. She can be reached at uma.nagendra@gmail.com or followed on Twitter @atinytornado.

References Cited

  1. Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia. “Podophyllum peltatum.” http://www.namethatplant.net/plantdetail.shtml?plant=1108
  2. Native in the city, 2008. “Spring ephemeral plant profile: trout lily.” http://nativeinthecity.blogspot.com/2008/02/spring-ephemeral-plant-profile-trout.html ; Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia. “Erythronium umbellatum.” http://www.namethatplant.net/plantdetail.shtml?plant=537
  3. Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia. “Viola rotundifolia.”  http://www.namethatplant.net/plantdetail.shtml?plant=1658; Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia. “Viola sororia.”  http://www.namethatplant.net/plantdetail.shtml?plant=1652
  4. Canadian Wildlife Federation, 2015. “Bloodroot.” http://cwf-fcf.org/en/discover-wildlife/flora-fauna/flora/bloodroot.html; Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia. “Sanguinaria canadensis.” http://www.namethatplant.net/plantdetail.shtml?plant=1312
  5. Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia. “Teaching Key to the Trilliums.”  http://www.namethatplant.net/keys/key_trillium_beta.shtml;
  6. Lapointe L. 2001. How phenology influences physiology in deciduous forest spring ephemerals. Physiologia Plantarum 113: 151–157
  7. Kenna MFM and Houle G. 2000. Why are annual plants rarely spring ephemerals? New Phytologist 148, 295–302.
  8. Blank JL, Olson RK and Vitousek PM. 1980. Nutrient Uptake by a Diverse Spring Ephemeral Community.  Oecologia 47, 96-98.
  9. Rothstein DE. 2000. Spring ephemeral herbs and nitrogen cycling in a northern hardwood forest: an experimental test of the vernal dam hypothesis. Oecologia 124:446–453