A knowledgeable reader named Nora commented on my post last week about what I mistakenly thought were marsh marigolds along the banks of the Brandywine. She writes:
"This showy little yellow flower is an invasive exotic - common name Lesser Celandine, Botanic name Ranunculis ficaria. The real Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris, is a wonderful native plant with much bigger leaves and flowers. The lesser celandine has invaded our area in the last 20 years and is outcompeting treasured natives along the Brandywine such as the Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica. It is extremely difficult to get rid off and goes dormant by summer. Its main means of movement is with flooding, though I often see it in areas where no flooding takes place.
"If it appears on my property, I dig it out immediately, removing a large soil ball because there are nodules on the roots and I don't want to leave any of them behind to start new plants.
"I know the plant is attractive, but if one looks at the big picture and tries to understand the complex set of relationships that exist for a healthy ecosystem, then one recognizes how damaging these invasive exotics are to the environment."
I was dismayed to learn this, but it would explain why some early flowers I saw in the White Clay Creek Preserve back in March really didn't match the marsh marigold picture in my wildflower identification book. I was introduced to the original marsh marigold by my junior-high science teacher, Miss Gold, during the wonderful trips to nearby streams she'd take us on.
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