{"id":975,"date":"2015-06-15T11:07:32","date_gmt":"2015-06-15T19:07:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/?p=975"},"modified":"2015-06-22T11:16:34","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T19:16:34","slug":"april-showers-bring-may-flowers-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/alaska-news\/april-showers-bring-may-flowers-not\/","title":{"rendered":"April Showers Bring May Flowers: NOT!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tulips<\/a>The springtime adage, \u201cApril showers bring May flowers\u201d may be the case in the lower 48 states, but not so in<\/span> Southeast Alaska<\/a> where precipitation is perpetual and April temperatures range between 35 to 49 degrees fahrenheit (2 to 10 centigrade). May temps in Juneau historically range between, 42 and 57 degrees (6 and 14 centigrade). Therefore, I believe it is not rain, but sunshine, that triggers\u00a0the spring eruption of wild flowers <\/a>across the forest floor in late May. This year, however, due to a historically dry and warm spring, the flower power of Southeast Alaska sprang forth in early May, was in full bloom by May’s end and\u00a0is still going strong in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to a report from the<\/span> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a>(NOAA), May of 2015 was the<\/span> driest May<\/a> in recorded history across Southeast Alaska and one of the hottest months on record across the state.<\/span> \u201cThe\u00a0Alaska statewide average temperature\u00a0<\/a>for May was the warmest\u00a0in 91-years of record keeping at 44.9\u00b0F, 7.1\u00b0F above average.\u201d April 2015 also recorded above normal temps. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"IMAG0578\"<\/a>While not optimum for the health of Alaska\u2019s temperate rainforest overall, wild and garden flowers, and me, reveled and thrived\u00a0in the record-challenging weather.\u00a0 Just see for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

But before we begin, thank you to my Gastineau Guiding cohorts Scott Ranger\u00a0and Annette Smith and Jeff Franks for allowing me to share their first class flower photography with you.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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\"20150523_003\"<\/a>\u00a0SIBERIAN MINER’S-LETTUCE
\nPhoto and text by Scott Ranger\u00a0\u00a9 2015
\nLocation: East Glacier Trail, Mendenhall Recreation Area, Juneau
\n<\/strong><\/span>When the gold miners arrived from their sea journey to Alaska, many were beginning to suffer from scurvy. Those who came before told them to eat this plant and are responsible for its common name. Quite tasty and juicy, the abundant vitamin C staved off the symptoms of this nasty disease. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>\"20150523_037\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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ROSE ROOT or STONE LEDGECROP
\n<\/strong>Photo and text by Scott Ranger \u00a9 2015
\nLocation: East Glacier Trail, Mendenhall Recreation Area, Juneau<\/strong><\/span>
\nIf the root is dug up (please don’t!) and crushed, it has the scent of roses and gives it the genus name which means “of roses”.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"20150523_059\"<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
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YELLOW MOUNTAIN HEATH,
\nYELLOW MOUNTAIN HEATHER, YELLOW HEATHER<\/span>
\n Photo and text by Scott Ranger\u00a0\u00a9 2015<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
Location: East Glacier Trail, Mendenhall Recreation Area, Juneau<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
When not flowering, most folks walk by this plant thinking it is a prostrate spruce tree as the creeping branches with needle-like leaves strongly resemble conifers. Their hanging urn shape give an instant resemblance to blueberries and they are in the same family.<\/span><\/div>\n
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NORTHERN GERANIUM or STICKY\u00a0GERANIUM
\nPhoto by Annette Smith \u00a9 2015
\nLocation: Mt. Roberts,\u00a0Juneau\"Annette<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/span>This\u00a0perennial has several common names, but it is commonly referred to in Alaska as Northern Geranium<\/a>.\u00a0 It may be found\u00a0 in meadows and open woodlands to moderate elevation in the mountains.<\/span>
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Photo by Jeff Franks\"Jeff's<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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\"Annette
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NARCISSUS FLOWER ANEMONE or THIMBLEWEED<\/strong><\/span>
\nPhoto by Annette Smith \u00a9 2015<\/strong><\/span>
\n Location: Mt. Roberts,\u00a0Gold Ridge, Juneau
\n<\/strong>A very common native, found throughout Southeast Alaska and thrives in open mountain meadows at higher elevations.<\/span>
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FIREWEED<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"ALETA'S<\/a>Photo and Text by Aleta Walther \u00a9 2015<\/strong><\/span>
\nLocation: Mendenhall Recreation Area, Juneau
\n<\/strong>This abundant, showy native wild flower is a staple in many Alaskan \u00a0households and harvested annually as its flower buds make a flavorful jelly and its flower petals a tasty tea.<\/span> We say in Alaska, “When the fireweed turns to cotton (spreads its seeds), summer is soon forgotten.” One can expect the first snow\u00a0fall in 6 to 8 weeks.
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\"DSC01197\"<\/a>FORGET-ME-NOT<\/strong><\/span>
\nPhoto and Text
\nby Aleta Walther \u00a9 2015<\/strong><\/span>
\nLocation: Douglas Island, Juneau
\n<\/strong>Petite, but greatly appreciated,\u00a0the forget-me-not <\/a>species is the Alaska State Flower.\u00a0\u00a0It grows well throughout Alaska and belongs to one of the few plant families that displays true-blue flowers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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DANDELION<\/span><\/strong>\"Dandolines\"<\/a>
\nPhoto and Text by Aleta Walther \u00a9 2015<\/strong><\/span>
\nLocation: Douglas Island, Juneau
\n<\/strong><\/span>One gardener’s weed is another gardener’s flower. These showy “flowers” are the first abundant color to burst forth in early spring. All of this plant is edible and many\u00a0Alaskan harvest dandelions for salads and the flowers for wine and jellies. Dandelion greens<\/a> can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, saut\u00e9ed or braised<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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WILD ROSE<\/strong><\/span>
\nPhoto and Text by Aleta Walther \u00a9 2015<\/strong><\/span>
\nLocation: Douglas Island, Juneau<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"IMAG0599\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

A favorite among local for being hardy,\u00a0wild roses<\/a>\u00a0offer an abundance of showy flowers. According to local university scholars, cooks and gardeners, “Various parts of the plant are edible.. In spring, the shoot may be peeled and nibbled. In early summer, the petals… add a touch of color and flavor to salads, sandwich spreads and omelets. Petals may be steeped for tea or used to make jelly.\u00a0 Candied rose hips may be used as a snack or in cookies, puddings and cake<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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\"IMAG0400\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Text\u00a0 & Photos by Aleta Walther \u00a9 2015<\/strong><\/span>
\nNaturalist, Outdoor Excursion Guide, CIG, CTA, ATG<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/strong>
\n<\/b><\/span><\/b>CONTACT: <\/span><\/strong>\u00a0aleta@prwriterpro.com<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The springtime adage, \u201cApril showers bring May flowers\u201d may be the case in the lower 48 states, but not so in Southeast Alaska where precipitation is perpetual and April temperatures range between 35 to 49 degrees fahrenheit (2 to 10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=975"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1078,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975\/revisions\/1078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.prwriterpro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}