With our cold weather in southeast Michigan this spring, we had snow forecast overnight for May 8-9, 2020, I know many Michiganders wondered when we would see native spring flowers in bloom.
Which was why I was thrilled to see the Marsh Marigold blooming this week in the marshes near us.
A few weeks later than their norm, the pretty yellow flowers of the Marsh Marigolds are now carpeting the ground in the wet forests and marshes.
Why it’s called Marsh Marigold has always surprised me.
The bright yellow cup-shaped flowers look like a buttercup.
Which makes sense because the Marsh Marigold is in the Buttercup family (Ranunculus).
I’ve loved the Marsh Marigold flower since I first learned about it in my college botany class.
The pretty yellow flowers were a welcome sight in spring, when nothing else was blooming and leaves were barely breaking bud.
We could never get too close to them in our class, due to the deep mud where they grew.
What I didn’t know until years later was that the plant juices of the Marsh Marigold can cause blistering or inflammation on the skin.
Yikes!
I’ll keep admiring the flowers from a distance.
