April 18 Twin Leaf

Flowers really are the best thing about spring, and I can't help but keep feeding you pictures of them. Jeffersonia diphylla is a rarity in the Arboretum and in southern Wisconsin, possibly because its seeds are a favorite snack for foraging rodents, who eat 95% of them according to research. This week I learned from Arboretum naturalists that twin leaf's flowers typically fall of within 48 hours of emerging. They were hardly visible yesterday, so tomorrow may be the last day for this patch of flowers. I especially like the shape of the symmetrical leaves, which remind me of lungs or a butterfly. Those veins that meet in the center could be the street network of a medieval European city. A few more twin leaf may flower in the woods over the next week or two in case you are interested in seeing them.