An iconic spring ephemeral! Like most woodland ephemerals, it prefers understory where it can get sun in the early spring, and shade when trees leaf out. Flowers only last a day or two, and leaves die back by late summer.

Light: Part Sun/Shade, Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet Mesic, Mesic

Soil Type: Loam

Height: 3”-12”

Bloom Color: White

Bloom Time: Mar-Apr

Root Type: Rhizome

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract bees, flies, and beetles. Hosts at least one species of aphid. Seeds are distributed by ants, who eat the nutritious coating on the seed and then discard them underground. Rhizomes contain toxic chemicals, so foliage is rarely browsed by mammals.

Notes: Because bloodroot prefer understory habitat and are fairly frequently poached for their tubers (which make a bright red dye), populations are in decline in many areas. They are undemanding plants when grown under trees so it is always better to grow plants rather than harvest wild populations, or risk buying poached tubers.