03.18.20 Understory Treasure

One of the first flowers I noticed on my walks this month was Lindera benzoin, Spicebush. This is a small bush, never more than ten feet tall, yet it fills the understory of our woods. These few photos taken in the forest just behind our home inspired the revival of this blog during our Covid Crisis. Not only remarkable for its sparkling yellow flowers, it also is a refreshing aromatic plant when its small stems are crushed or broken. A tiny bit of research revealed that this is the host of the Spicebush Swallowtail. Timothy Spira in his Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains & Piedmont claims a single larva of this butterfly eats only three leaves to complete its development. I hope he is right, this plant brings me such joy.

Spicebush Butterfly as pictured on Wikipedia.

Spicebush illustration (early 20C) found in the Biodiversity Library’s collection of photos on Flickr. Credited to M. E. Eaton from Addisonia.