Spring Wildflowers of CT - Pomperaug Valley Garden Club
When:“Spring Wildflowers of Connecticut”
The Pomperaug Valley Garden Club (PVGC) will host a lecture by area naturalists Barbara and Peter Rzasa, on “Spring Wildflowers of Connecticut” at 11am, Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at the Emergency Services Building, 25 Quassuk Road, Woodbury CT.
Guests are welcome to join us for a $5 donation. Refreshments will be served.
Many spring flowers are ephemeral, having to emerge early, bloom and produce seed before our overhead trees leaf out. True ephemerals will soon disappear after shade blankets the forest floor. Spring wildflowers play an important role in nature as they provide food for pollinators such as bumblebees, solitary wasps and butterflies, which in turn help to disperse the flower seed.
Hepatica, wood anemone, Dutchman’s breeches, bloodroot, trillium, trout lily, lady-slipper, May apple and wild ginger will be described. Uncommon flowers such as early saxifrage, pink corydalis, bird’s-foot violet and cuckoo flower will also be highlighted. Many are easily observed in nature, but many others are elusive and require a bit of searching. Emphasis will be placed on those flowers found in the greater Woodbury area, including those at the Botany Trail developed and maintained by the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club at the Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust. Stories and flower folklore of our native spring wildflowers will be shared. After the program, Barbara and Peter will lead a hike along the Botany Trail at Flanders Nature Center, in search of our native spring flowers. Dress according to the weather.
Barbara Rzasa is a retired graphic designer who uses her artistic skills to create nature-based watercolor paintings. She has a BS degree in art from Southern Connecticut State University. Peter Rzasa earned his BS degree in Forest Chemistry from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Both are nature photographers who provide presentations on trees, plants and wildflowers, with the goal of encouraging people to look more closely at the wonders of our natural world.
The Pomperaug Valley Garden Club is a charter member of the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut and National Garden Clubs. The club sponsors speakers at monthly meetings, garden-oriented field trips, numerous civic beautification and educational outreach projects in Woodbury, and a scholarship program. For information regarding membership, visit our website at www.pomperaugvalleygc.org.