Barn Talk: Signs of Spring: Connecticut’s Ephemerals and Early Risers

The first signs of spring appear in forms both subtle and spectacular. While the horticultural industry highlights familiar favorites like crocuses, snowdrops, and daffodils, it is our native flora that truly reveal the start of spring in Connecticut. Join field botanist Heather Liljengren for an engaging introduction to our local early risers – the enchanting native ephemerals, graceful sedges and flowering trees that are our true harbingers of spring. Learn what signs to look for on your own walks and woodland explorations as our New England landscape begins to wake up.

Heather Liljengren is the owner of LocalLand Consulting LLC and has over 17 years of professional experience botanizing throughout the Mid-Atlantic and New England. She works closely with land trusts, farmers, landscape design firms, and homeowners to support the management, conservation, and restoration of native flora and regional habitats. Her extensive knowledge of local plant communities is grounded in her experience managing native seed collection programs for government agencies and nonprofit organizations.