My Ephemeral Wildflower Guide... and more!
Ephemeral wildflowers, local trail recs, & an update on current projects
Hello dear subscribers! Ephemeral wildflower season is near its peak here in Vermont, and I thought it would be a shame not to share my wildflower guide with you. I’m also including a list of natural areas teeming with ephemerals to check out if you’re local, plus some updates on projects in the works and writing I’ve done recently.
So if you’re interested in ephemerals, read on! If not, skip this one.
1. I recently had the honor of writing a short piece for Rock Point profiling seven of the ephemerals you can find there. If you want a little introduction to ephemeral wildflowers, this is a great place to start!
2. I’ve been featuring individual ephemerals on Substack Notes— I’ve posted three so far. I provide my illustration of the wildflower, photos I’ve taken of it, detailed information, and how to ID.
3. A few updates & projects in the works:
An essay about the emerald ash borer & our collective grief over losing the ash trees. This piece was going to be simple but has turned into quite the adventure! I won’t spoil it but I’ll say that it has gone in a direction I didn’t expect— I was going to publish it next week but there’s an essential part of the story I can’t explore until mid-June. So it may have to wait until then, unless I decide to publish each section individually.
More natural community visits! I’ve been waiting for everything to leaf out a bit more, which is finally happening. I can’t wait to keep learning from these ecological inventories and develop my skills in that area.
Those of you who know me personally may know that I’ve recently shifted my professional focus fully to nature & ecology. I don’t know what this will look like yet; I don’t have a science degree and my experience/knowledge is all self-directed. I have felt passionate about this career path for years though, and I’m more sure than ever that this is what I want to do. If you work in this field, I would love to speak with you and am open to any advice/opportunities you want to share.
For the first time in a few months, my books are open for science communication and nature illustration work— if you have a project in mind, reach out! I offer a range of services including (but not limited to) writing, photography, illustration, and interpretive signage.
4. Okay, here it is! I created this wildflower guide for Vermont Master Naturalist a few years ago now. I used to sell prints of it, but my art printer is currently broken. Feel free to print it out, share it with friends, and refer back to it. It’s posted in full on my instagram page, which is an easy place to find it when you’re out on the trail and want to check an ID. If you find it useful and want to throw me a tip in lieu of purchasing a print, feel free to venmo me a few bucks. There is no pressure to do so though! I just ask that if you want to distribute it to a larger group, reach out to me first and get permission. Keep scrolling for local trail recs.
5. For the locals (Burlington, VT and surrounding areas): here’s a list of trails I love for seeing ephemerals! If you have a specific ephemeral you want to see, feel free to send me a message or reply to this email and ask— I can direct you to any of the ones on my guide.
Red Rocks Park. Burlington, VT. This is probably the most well-known trail on this list, but worth a visit nonetheless. There’s a wide variety of ephemerals here and most of them grow in large, well established patches. This is the easiest place to see them in Burlington and great for a quick visit.
Arms Forest & Rock Point. Burlington, VT. Depending how long of an adventure you want, you could do one or both of these— the trails connect. My recommendation is to start at the Arms Forest trailhead and hike through to the bike path, which you’ll cross to enter Rock Point. The Rock Point trailhead is south of Killarny Drive on the bike path— once you exit Arms Forest look for a bike rack, that’s the entrance. You could also park at Leddy Beach, on Killarny Drive, or at North Beach to access either of these trails via the bike path.
Ethan Allen Park. Burlington, VT. A shorter excursion, but breathtaking nonetheless. Tons of ephemerals along the trail to the left. Mossy rocks galore and a cool watchtower and pavilion along the main trail.
LaPlatte Nature Park. Shelburne, VT. I call this place the Troll Trail. If you take the trail that goes to the footbridge, you’ll find out why. This place is absolutely alive with ephemerals, and the many intersecting trails offer a wide variety of options. This is a bigger trail system with a lot to see. Most of the ephemerals (aside from lady’s slippers) can be found here, as well as Marsh Marigold, Colt’s Foot, and others not listed on the guide. I recommend taking the trail to the footbridge, crossing, and heading up the staircase to the upland forest. You’ll find a whole other group of wildflowers there.
Niquette Bay State Park. Colchester, VT. Take the Ledges Trail— tons of ephemerals right along the trailhead. This rocky upland trail is lovely in the spring before leaf-out, especially on a sunny day. If you want something in between a nature walk and a hike, this is a great pick. You’ll be walking on rocky ledges and have opportunities to lengthen your visit if you choose to explore the intersecting trails.
Colchester Pond. Colchester, VT. Colloquially known as CoPo (hehe), if you want a combined ephemeral and birding experience, this is the place. Less of a variety of ephemerals than some of the other places I’ve listed, but still plenty to see and just a really magical place to hike in the spring. Do the full 3-mile loop, you won’t regret it.
Sucker Brook Hollow. Williston, VT. This is most rigorous of the hikes listed here (though true hikers would consider it easy). It is mostly uphill and the top offers a wonderful view. Most of the ephemerals on the guide can be found here, and there’s also great birding. If you want to see flowers and also get a decent workout, this trail is great. Depending how much time you have, you could make a day of it and pop by Mud Pond before or after to round out your ephemeral search.
Mud Pond. Williston, VT. This one is great for wetland ephemerals and birding. It’s the lowland to Sucker Brook Hollow’s upland environment. Marsh Marigold, Colt’s Foot, all three species of Trillium listed in my guide, Starflower, Bellwort, and more. Unlike Sucker Brook Hollow, this trail is fairly flat and easy and includes a beautiful boardwalk section through the wetland. Follow the sign for the pond, then instead of crossing the street to the mud pond loop I recommend continuing on the connector trail to the boardwalk.
Colt's Foot & Marsh Marigold at Mud Pond Eshqua Bog. Woodstock, VT. A trek from Burlington, but well worth it. I recommend going on a weekday because it gets really crowded and parking is limited. This is a short boardwalk trail through a fen that features a stunning yearly bloom of showy lady’s slippers. Yellow lady’s slippers also bloom here, though there are places closer to Burlington to see those. Absolutely beautiful, highly rec going if you’ve never been. You could make a day of it and visit VINS in nearby Queechee— a must-see for bird lovers!
I wish you wildflowers galore this spring, and many sunny days to soak up the pre-mosquito season. Reach out with any questions about ephemerals and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Happy spring!
All photos © Lorna Dielentheis 2025
hi lorna! i am local to Williston and just went to the library to look for a guide to spring ephemerals. I’ve been exploring them for several years but wanted something a bit more consisel and Vermont specific. There wasn’t what I was looking for at the library but the same day I popped into Substack and here was this post!! I am interested in printing your guides and would most definitely send along some money in return :) thank you for sharing! also, my partner and I just found some Jack in the Pulpit at Mud Pond yesterday which was a treat!