“Spring Ephemerals: Ontario’s Native Wildflowers”
A stereoscopic exploration of a little-known aspect
of our ecological heritage
4th Friday – Friday, May 25, 5-9 pm
Fourth Fridays in Downtown Guelph
FREE Admission
Guelph Civic Museum
52 Norfolk Street, Guelph, Ontario N1H 4H8
519-836-1221
Fourth Fridays in Downtown Guelph in Ontario, Canada, is an event wherein a variety of artistic happenings are FREE on every fourth Friday of the month,
As part of the Fourth Fridays in Downtown Guelph, Guelph Civic Museum invites you to:
- Visit with photographer Simon Bell (7-9 pm)
- View his photo exhibit “Spring Ephemerals: Ontario’s Native Wildflowers” (5 – 9 pm)
- And learn about three-dimensional photography
Please note that photographer Simon Bell’s 16 anaglyph prints are being hosted by the Guelph Civic Museum from February 29 until August 26:
Spring Ephemerals: Ontario’s Native Wildflowers
A stereoscopic exploration of a little-known aspect
of our ecological heritageAsk a citizen of Ontario to name the native wildflowers of early spring that grow in our forests and ravines and you’re likely to draw a blank. Some might say, “Trilliums! They grow around here don’t they?”
Yes, they do. The large white blooms of our provincial flower are hard to miss in the month of May. And there are a host of other wildflowers that bloom for a few days in spring but are hardly known to the millions of people who pass them by each day. Some are tiny and barely noticeable but exquisite nonetheless. Others are more rare and hard to find. It’s a wonder that they’re here at all, given that the one thing they all require is undisturbed woodland.
As a Canadian photographer who specializes in stereography (think 3D pictures), I decided to learn about these indigenous plants, to discover where they reside and, if possible, to capture their uniqueness and beauty as living three-dimensional sculptures.
Spring wildflowers appear in the woods well before the trees fully leaf-out and block the direct sunlight from reaching the forest floor. Some of the earliest plants to appear, such as Skunk Cabbage and Blue Cohosh, bloom before they themselves produce leaves. Warm afternoons in April and May are the best times to find these wildflowers in full bloom along the woodland trails. Some only bloom for a few days, hence the name “Spring Ephemerals.”
Southern Ontario is blessed with many forested ravines in the Humber, Don and Rouge river systems. Unfortunately most of these woodland areas have been heavily disturbed by early logging and industry and later by roads and park development. Some areas have too much on-going erosion, other don’t receive enough sunlight. Nevertheless, there are wildflower “hotspots” where a variety of our native wildflowers still grow, often in close proximity to one another.
I found a large patch of Skunk Cabbage, our earliest spring flower, in a marshy area near the entrance to Meadowvale Park in Scarborough. It provided a welcomed meal to some migrating ducks who were, at the same time, ruining my photo opportunity. Then, to my surprise, a white-tailed deer paused near the Skunk Cabbage patch and looked me over before she melted into the forest. So if you’re prepared to get off the pavement and follow the muddy woodland trails, our woods in spring will provide many delightful surprises.
Simon Bell
www.simonbell.ca
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Enjoy!
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