Harsh winter,more seedlings?

16 years ago

I was wondering if anyone else who had a really cold winter such as it was here in Northwest Pennsylvania has noticed a more than normal amount of seedlings sprouting up ? I 've never seen so many little maples starting throughout my little woodland area, I can see I will have my hands full trying to go around and pull them up. I sure cant leave that many ( thousands )to try and grow. I have always heard that when a tree is sick or threatened by something else in nature, they try and produce large amounts of seeds to cary on the survival of that species.

I see also, at the base of many of my Ferns what appears to be many new ones starting as gametophytes and then what looks to be sporophytes growing from them.Many other woodland plants seem to have been prolific with their method of propogation .Just wondering if any one else noticed anything similar ? Tom

Comments (3)

oakleif
16 years ago
We've had a 3yr drought and a mild winter but had extreme cold the whole week of Easter. We live in the woods and i've got oaks ,black gum,cherry and maples coming up everywhere and my false solomans seal is thicker than it's ever been.
oakleif
tomasincas
Original Author
16 years ago
Oakleif, My false solomons,doing real well this year also, that is ,if the animals will let them alone.Something keeps eating the tops of of them every year, In addition to the thousands of maple seedlings which I dont want , I also have lots of trout lilly leaves popping up all over which in the next year or two I hope to get some flowers on them. I haven't seen one flower yet, but I think they are to young.I also have a bunch of single leaves scattered around like trout lillys ( but they are free from any markings )and not as pointed on the ends of the leaves ( more rounded )I dont know what they are, but I will keep digging till I find someway or someone who knows .... Tom
jclark42
16 years ago
Tom-

Canada Mayflower perhaps?

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/maianthemumcana.html

Like the trout lilly the single-leaved plants are immature, the multi-leaved plants will likely flower. In my yard the single-leaved plants are much more abundant. They also seem to like the drier areas as compared to the trout lilly.

-Josh-