On a hike over the weekend my friend and I came upon an entire forest floor full of Mayapples. These native spring wildflowers do their growing and blooming before the trees leaf out.
They look like little green umbrellas. Bumblebees like to visit the flowers that appears between the axil of two leaves:
All the parts of the plant are toxic except for the berry that forms in early summer.
These plants can be grown in a native or woodland garden and can even thrive under black walnut trees (they are juglone-resistant). They are not attractive to rabbits or deer.
Mayapples spread by runners and are an option for people looking for a groundcover under deciduous trees. They grow 12 to 18 inches tall and are hardy in Zones 3-8.
