Jack-In-The-Pulpit – An Unusual Wildflower

The Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is a spring wildflower of moist woodlands and may be encountered in oak-hickory forests and forested swamps. Though some consider this member of the Arum family a single species with several variations, others believe there to be three separate species of Jack-in-the-pulpit. 

This interesting plant flowers from April to June, but unless you look closely you will not see the actual flowers. What you will see is a green or purple striped spathe (pulpit) encircling and curving over a club-shaped spadix (Jack). Tiny flowers are found within the pulpit at the base of the spadix. All well and good, you say, but how do pollinators find the blossoms?

mchenry.edu

Like other members of the Arum family, such as skunk cabbage, the Jack-in-the-pulpit is believed to give off a fetid odor. Consequently, small flies in search of a rotting carcass on which to lay their eggs are attracted to the plant’s unobtrusive flowers. When the flies enter the spathe they brush against its pollen and carry it to other Jacks. 

The one or two leaves of this wildflower are divided into three leaflets that top long stalks. Impressive varieties can grow to three feet tall, though most you find will be less than a foot high. Once you learn to recognize its leaves, the Jack-in-the-pulpit hiding beneath will become easy to spot. 

Wikipedia

In late summer a bright cluster of red berries forms on a thickened stalk. Wood thrush and wild turkeys will eat these woodland fruits. Native Americans were known to consume the tuberous roots of the Jack-in-the-pulpit, which gives the plant another common name – Indian turnip. Since the roots contain calcium oxalate crystals and would cause a severe burning sensation if eaten raw, they were cooked thoroughly before being eaten.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

(From the May 2013 newsletter)

Bio Bits: How To Feed And Clean A Turkey

As breeding season gets underway and gobbling can be heard in our woodlands and meadows, we notice the wild turkey’s (Meleagris gallopavo) activities. This bird is native to North and Central America and was domesticated in Mexico centuries ago. In the sixteenth century Spanish conquerors brought some of these domesticated birds back to Spain where they continued to be bred in captivity. 

These turkeys were later introduced to France and England. European colonists eventually brought the turkey full circle – back to America as a domesticated version of its wild American cousin. 

Wild turkeys feed on seeds and nuts, as well fruits, leaves, insects (like grasshoppers) and even small vertebrates (like salamanders). In the fall and winter acorns, hickory nuts and beechnuts become the mainstay of the wild turkey diet. All food consumed by the turkey, including seeds, nuts and crunchy insects, pass through the turkey’s gizzard, the hard muscular section of the stomach. The gizzard grinds the food with the aid of “grit,” such as sand or small pebbles, which the turkey ingests for this very reason. In experiments it was found that a turkey’s gizzard could crush an object that required more than 400 pounds of pressure per square inch!

Patches of bare dry ground are attractive to wild turkeys not only for the grit they offer, but also as sites for dust baths. Loose dusty sand is an ideal medium in which to look for signs of wild turkey bathing activity. A flock will spend a good deal of time at the site as each turkey takes a turn, lowering its body to the ground while flinging sand onto its back with its wings. Puffing its feathers allows the sand to reach all the turkey’s skin and feather surfaces. A vigorous shake, some preening of feathers, and the turkey is ready to resume its daily activities, perhaps leaving behind footprints and wing impressions in the dust for an observant person to discover. 

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Photos: Wikimedia

(From the March 2013 Newsletter)