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11/17/2018 Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildflower of New Jersey | Conservancy Talk https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2015/06/04/yellow-spring-beauty-rare-wildflower-new-jersey-native-plants/ 1/6 Two blooms of Hammond's Yellow Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae) near a stream. Photo © Jim Wright. Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of New Jersey By Jim Wright | Photography | June 4, 2015 By Jim Wright Hammond’s Yellow Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae) is a tiny wildower protected by The Nature Conservancy — and found only in a few secluded patches of wet meadow in the northwest corner of densely populated New Jersey. In The Conservancy’s 100-acre Arctic Meadows Preserve, a rare inland acidic seep combined with the unique underlying geology and soils has created a habitat where Hammond’s Yellow Spring Beauty can ourish. What’s the big deal? “This is the only place on the planet, the only place in the universe, that we know it occurs,” says New Jersey State Botanist David Snyder.

New Jersey Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of · 2019-05-25 · Beauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkled daodil-yellow confetti across the soggy landscape. Wild

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Page 1: New Jersey Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of · 2019-05-25 · Beauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkled daodil-yellow confetti across the soggy landscape. Wild

11/17/2018 Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildflower of New Jersey | Conservancy Talk

https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2015/06/04/yellow-spring-beauty-rare-wildflower-new-jersey-native-plants/ 1/6

Two blooms of Hammond's Yellow Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae) near a stream. Photo© Jim Wright.

Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wild�ower ofNew JerseyBy Jim Wright | Photography | June 4, 2015

By Jim Wright

Hammond’s Yellow Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae) is a tiny wild�owerprotected by The Nature Conservancy — and found only in a few secluded patches of wetmeadow in the northwest corner of densely populated New Jersey.

In The Conservancy’s 100-acre Arctic Meadows Preserve, a rare inland acidic seep combinedwith the unique underlying geology and soils has created a habitat where Hammond’sYellow Spring Beauty can �ourish.

What’s the big deal?

“This is the only place on the planet, the only place in the universe, that we know it occurs,”says New Jersey State Botanist David Snyder.

Page 2: New Jersey Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of · 2019-05-25 · Beauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkled daodil-yellow confetti across the soggy landscape. Wild

11/17/2018 Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildflower of New Jersey | Conservancy Talk

https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2015/06/04/yellow-spring-beauty-rare-wildflower-new-jersey-native-plants/ 2/6

Photo © Jim Wright.

A �eld of Hammond’s Yellow Spring Beauty. Photo © Jim Wright.

That’s why, on a sunny spring morning this year, botanists from as far away as centralPennsylvania made a pilgrimage to the foothills of the Kittatinny Mountains. They wanted tosee a wild�ower that’s smaller than a dime but priceless nonetheless.

“This is the whole world’s population right here,” says Tim Draude, a consulting botanistfrom Lancaster, Pa. “I love seeing new things, and it’s hard not to fall in love with these littleguys. They’re so beautiful.”

When the botanists visited Arctic Meadows inlate April, perhaps 100 of the delicatewild�owers had bloomed. Two weeks later, themeadows were awash with Hammond’s SpringBeauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkledda�odil-yellow confetti across the soggylandscape.

Wild indigo duskywing butter�es �utteredabout. A green darner dragon�y zipped backand forth. Nearby, a black-throated greenwarbler and a pileated woodpecker cackled. ASouthern meadow frog settled nicely alongsidea clump of wet moss.

All served as reminders that New Jersey has itsown areas of natural paradise.

More than �ve decades earlier, whennaturalist Emilie K. Hammond came across that same scene, she noticed something odd.

Page 3: New Jersey Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of · 2019-05-25 · Beauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkled daodil-yellow confetti across the soggy landscape. Wild

11/17/2018 Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildflower of New Jersey | Conservancy Talk

https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2015/06/04/yellow-spring-beauty-rare-wildflower-new-jersey-native-plants/ 3/6

The wild�owers reminded her of the common Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), one of themost widespread native perennials in the eastern United States. In this meadow, however,the Spring Beauty’s blooms — typically white or pinkish — were all a deep yellow. What wasgoing on?

Hammond dutifully reported her discovery to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, whichresearched the �ower and categorized it as another color form of the common SpringBeauty. In short: interesting but nothing too out of the ordinary.

Size comparison for the Hammond’s Yellow Spring Beauty. Photo © Jim Wright.

Hammond’s �nd was mostly forgotten until the mid-1980s, when a friend of hers saw ahouse under construction not far from the precious meadow. She passed along herconcerns to a young heritage botanist who worked for The Nature Conservancy. His name:David Snyder, who would one day become New Jersey’s state botanist.

The more Snyder looked into the situation, the more curious he became. These SpringBeauties were growing in an unexpected location, on sedge tussocks in standing water on ameadow surrounded by a thicket of hemlocks and rhododendrons.

Each and every bloom was yellow, whereas typical color variations of the �ower weretypically found alongside the pinkish or white one. And, as Snyder found out throughrepeated visits, these Spring Beauties kept blooming long after their common cousins hadclosed up shop.

Snyder eventually determined that this was anew type of Spring Beauty altogether, foundonly in or near these remote wet meadows.

Page 4: New Jersey Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of · 2019-05-25 · Beauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkled daodil-yellow confetti across the soggy landscape. Wild

11/17/2018 Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildflower of New Jersey | Conservancy Talk

https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2015/06/04/yellow-spring-beauty-rare-wildflower-new-jersey-native-plants/ 4/6

Photo © Jim Wright.

“They are a reminder that relatively undisturbednatural areas still exist, even in close proximityto large metropolitan areas,” says Peter Zale,Ph.D., Breeder and Curator of Plants atLongwood Gardens.

In the 1990s, The Nature Conservancy boughtthe 77-acre property to protect the rare �ower,and has added 23 acres of adjacent land toincrease the bu�er since then. Conservancyland steward Scott Sherwood and his family livenearby to keep an eye on the unique meadow.

“Only in this limited area do we �nd this rare�ower because only here do the conditionsmeet its speci�c needs,” says Barbara Brummer,New Jersey State Director for The NatureConservancy. “That’s why it’s so important thatwe protect it.”

As a result, visitation is restricted to scienti�c research by advance arrangement — like thebotanists who made that late-April trek to see it in bloom.

Botanists visit from far and wide. Photo © Jim Wright.

According to Snyder, Hammond’s Yellow Spring Beauty may lack any economic value, butit’s still important to anyone who values nature’s diversity and uniqueness.

“It’s really something that right here in New Jersey you can walk through that rhododendronthicket and see thousands of specimens of a plant that occurs nowhere else in the world,”says Snyder. “That should make you smile.”

Freelance writer, author and photographer Jim Wright is a New Jersey trustee for The NatureConservancy.

Page 5: New Jersey Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of · 2019-05-25 · Beauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkled daodil-yellow confetti across the soggy landscape. Wild

11/17/2018 Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildflower of New Jersey | Conservancy Talk

https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2015/06/04/yellow-spring-beauty-rare-wildflower-new-jersey-native-plants/ 5/6

Comments

NJ-DEP is designating the former Farny State park, into a WMA, where WHEELED VEHICLES will bepermitted putting species such as the Triphora trianthopora in jeopardy, among other ENSPspecies. We need help in overturning this decision. Please contact me.

Robert Jonas, September 22, 2015 at 3:48 pmReply

Whai your plan for defeating this decision? I live in the Pine Barrens and know how hard it is to�ght the all terrain vehicle and what they think their right to 4 wheel everyday. j

jeanne woodford, October 16, 2017 at 1:47 pmReply

I am sure this plant would do well other places, including the warming arctic. Rarity is important tosome plant enthusiasts.

Cindy donahey, April 8, 2017 at 6:42 amReply

I have it growing in my grass!

Karen Kennedy, April 14, 2017 at 1:47 pmReply

I know there are some in Illinois. My grandmother and I would walk in the cow pasture next to herhouse and we would see them every spring.

D. S. Schaver, May 26, 2017 at 4:43 pmReply

It’s in Howell NJ too. They are in NJ

Cher, February 23, 2018 at 11:13 amReply

Opinions expressed on TALK and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors and donot necessarily re�ect the views of The Nature Conservancy.

If you believe in the work we’re doing, please lend a hand.

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Page 6: New Jersey Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildower of · 2019-05-25 · Beauties — as if Mother Nature had sprinkled daodil-yellow confetti across the soggy landscape. Wild

11/17/2018 Yellow Spring Beauty: Meet the Rare Wildflower of New Jersey | Conservancy Talk

https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2015/06/04/yellow-spring-beauty-rare-wildflower-new-jersey-native-plants/ 6/6

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