RAIN, RAIN, DON'T GO AWAY
Making Spring Flowers Rise in a Rain Globe
Story by Amanda Simmons
Photos by Ben Shadley
March/April 2008
We’ve all experienced that momentous day in March when the sun’s path rises higher in the sky and the first migrating songbirds return. As the snow melts, the forest floor thaws and the brittle, dry leaves of last fall recycle themselves into the spring soil. These are the days a window view makes being indoors unbearable as we long to be outside. This feeling is spring fever. We aren’t the only ones with it—the wildflowers have it too.
As the days grow longer and the sun shines brighter, a great awakening occurs and these beauties rise again for us to enjoy. Warm air from the south clashes with the crisp cool air that is still trying to rule our area, which results in the many showers that characterize this time of the year. The rain, along with the new warmth and intensifying light of the sun, creates a perfect growing environment in the forest. Most of our early spring flowers bloom in the woods while the trees are still bare. The plants must make the most of the sunlight before the tree canopy soaks it up once more.
In Indiana, the wildflower awakening starts around early March. Among the earliest of the spring flowers you will probably find is the harbinger of spring, which is also known as “salt and pepper” for its tiny white petals and red-brown centers. Keep looking and you could spot spring beauties and, on return trips, some bluets. Another early spring flower is the sharp-lobed Hepatica. This flower is particularly interesting because in Latin “Hepatica” means liver. That’s probably no coincidence since this flower’s three-lobed leaves resemble the human liver in both shape and color. Long ago, Hepatica was used as a medicine believed to cure liver ailments.
Spring wildflowers paint the forest floor with a variety of vibrant colors and they may even bring a sweet aroma. They also serve a vital purpose in the forest. The colorful carpet of wildflowers soaks up the spilling spring rains. This prevents erosion and holds moisture in the soil to help all plants grow.
Wildflowers provide nectar to nourish insects as they pollinate the flowers. In turn, the insects become food for birds that migrate back to our area from the warmer south. The flowers continue to grow and produce seeds that feed many forest animals. Soon we understand that those beautiful and delicate wildflowers signal the start of our renewed thriving forest ecosystem.
Now is the perfect time to join interpretive naturalists at our Indiana state properties to witness this awakening season, participate in spring wildflower programs through March, April and May, and find out what’s your favorite flower.
You can create your own magical model of nature’s falling rains and rising wildflowers by making a spring rain globe.
Amanda Simmons is an interpreter at McCormick’s Creek State Park.
Make a rain globe
Supplies needed:
• Pencil or pen
• Toothpick or twig
• One teaspoon of blue glitter
• Hot glue gun and glue stick
• Clear wide-mouth jar (glass or plastic) with a tight-fitting lid
• Piece of colorful foam tray (thin ones are easier to cut)
• Piece of green string, as tall as your jar
• Strip of green felt, 1-1/2” wide, and long enough to wrap around the jar lid
• Dime-size Styrofoam ball, cut in half (an adult should help you cut the ball)
• Scissors (strong enough to cut the foam tray)
Directions:
1) Cut a square of foam tray just small enough to fit through the jar top. Take it out, and trim the edges to create a flower shape of your choice—straight cuts are easier than curves.
2) Put a dime-size dot of hot glue on the back of your flower. Curl the end of your string and lay it over the glue. Top this with the small Styrofoam ball, flat side against the glue, and gently press. The string should be caught in the glue sandwich.
3) Tie a fat knot in the other end of the string flower stem. Put a dime-size dot of hot glue inside the jar lid. Carefully press the knot into the glue—use a toothpick or twig to protect your fingers. Cover the knot with a second dot of hot glue and let it dry.
4) Fill the jar with water, leaving about 1/4” at the top. Add 1 teaspoon of blue glitter.
5) Hold the lid over the jar—your flower should float on the water. Gently lower the lid and guide the string stem to rest on the flower—be careful not to let the string fall outside the jar. Firmly twist on the lid to make the jar water-tight.
6) Turn the jar upside down, and stand it on the lid. Watch the blue glitter rain down as your foam flower rises to “grow” tall!
7) Draw a line down the length of your felt strip about ½” from the edge. Fringe the other edge to look like grass, but do not cut through your line. Apply hot glue to the uncut strip and wrap it around the jar lid with the grass pointing toward the flower. To plant your flower, hold the jar with the lid up. To start the spring rain and grow your flower, turn the jar upside down, and your flower will quickly rise as the blue rain falls.
By recycling the jar and foam tray, you are helping to protect our environment while celebrating the magic of flowers.
Below: Alex Simmons of Madison constructs a rain globe from a variety of common household items. Varying the colors and patters of the grass and flowers makes it easy to make a custom globe.
