I’ve been out of town and out of touch for a few days, but I’m back. There is a lot going on right now, but while I was gone, our Jack-In-the-Pulpit plants have sprung up, and they volunteered for an Easter feature. I was only too happy to oblige! (Watch for more soon.)
Happy Easter, everyone!
krikitarts 
They look so fresh. It’s as if they dressed themselves in bead-covered green.
Thanks, Dezra! I always watch for them–they’re one of the real spring signposts. Now I’m waiting for the columbines. What a glorious time of year!
Happy Easter :)
Frohes Ostern!
and Easater Greetings to you
Thanks, David!
Ahhh, how refreshing! So spectacularly green!
The light was especially nice this morning, and aaaallmost no wind. Had to wait a few minutes for complete lack of swaying. Didn’t mind a bit, though!
I love this shot.
Thanks, Sandy!
That’s a great name for a plant (is it some kind of pitcher plant?). And as Lemony said, the greens arre vibrant. Lovely picture.
Thanks for your interest, Finn. The Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum, is not insectivorous or related to pitcher plants, in spite of the obvious similarity in structure. It is, however, toxic, containing calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause a powerful burning sensation if eaten and rarely swelling of the mouth and throat that can be severe enough to affect breathing. Still, a lovely flower, and I’m going to try to harvest some seeds later in the year and plant them at our Minnesota retreat; I’ll have to be patient, though, as it takes three or more years for a new plant to flower.
Hello Gary, interesting stuff oxalate. It inhibits glucose metabolism by hitting the enzyme pyruvate kinase which is an enzyme I’ve worked with in the context of developing cancer therapies. It’s also the same toxin that makes green rhubarb a bad idea. And crystallisation of oxalates (from port, strawberries… the good things in life) in the joints causes gout. (But I’ve just remembered you’re a vet, so I guess you probably know most of that!)
It is a splendid flower, aesthetically and biochemically. Good luck with your cultivation plans, it will be a real achievement when you get some flowers!
A splendid flower indeed! I hope my cultivation attempt works out. Some more about the oxalate–I read in Wikipedia that “one account from the Meskwaki Indians states that they would chop the herb’s corm [tuber] and mix it with meat and leave the meat out for their enemies to find. The taste of the oxalate would not be detectable because of the flavored meat, but consuming the meat reportedly caused their enemies pain and death. They also used it to determine the fate of the sick by dropping a seed in a cup of stirred water; If the seed went around four times clockwise, the patient would recover, if it went around less than four times they would not.” Sounds like kind of a tall tale, but just to be on the safe side, I guess I won’t be making any corm bread in the near future!
Gorgeous greenery, Gary, and I love the covering of water droplets! Adrian