2008 may be remembered for many things, not the least for the Winter that refused to concede to Spring. Perhaps something you won’t read in the news, however, is that Spring 2008 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for plants in the mustard family.

Southern Ohio, home of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, is blessed with approximately 40 species of mustards, most of which are native spring wildflowers, including cresses, rock-cresses, whitlow grasses, toothworts, and true mustards.  A few of the non-native mustards are well known because they are highly opportunistic, such as the garlic mustard. Other common mustards are well known because they taste good and are packed with vitamins! The robust size and mild flavor of the many field mustards entices herbalists into the spring meadows to gather a poke of spring salad greens.

But there are representatives of the mustard family that are neither common nor well known. And they don't taste good either. They are miniature mustards that have yet to establish a wide-spread appeal. Some of the native mustards are so small you could drop a fifty cent piece, or even a quarter, over the entire plant!! Some of them grow in specialized and challenging habitats, and many eek out a fragile existence in exceptionally scenic and as well as ecologically significant locations. 

It is a thrill to go out "miniature mustard-hunting" in March to find one of the first signs of spring -- spying, say, a tiny rosette of a native mustard growing in the powdery thin soils on a windblown limestone bluff, below a greening grove of red cedars and hazelnuts. Admittedly this activity is not for the faint-hearted, as the task often requires a warm down jacket and a magnifying glass in hand. Yet there is something about "small" that is universally appealing, don't you think? To get on your hands and knees and see a little Whitlow grass in bloom, with flowers only a few mm. across, can be as thrilling as finding a whole bouquet of hepaticas! Maybe we could initiate a brand new spring tradition around these little mustards, establishing their value equal to hearing the first spring peeper, seeing the earliest salamander cross the road, or finding a Harbinger of Spring in bloom. So, in case you haven't noticed, this article is a deliberate attempt to cultivate a fan club for the tiny mustards!

Before I take you on a spring mustard tour, let me introduce you to the Mustard family (also called the Brassica family). Mustards are characterized by four-petaled flowers, with many representatives being winter annuals. Seeds of winter annuals usually germinate in the fall, produce a basal rosette of leaves before the deep winter chill, and then burst into lush growth as soon as the weather goes above the freezing point in early spring. They usually bloom that same spring, producing one generation of seeds before they die. Mustards love growing in the cold weather of fall and spring, and if you reflect on the garden habits of cabbage, radish and broccoli, you will recognize them as classic representatives of the mustard family.

By far the best location for rare mustards in the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, indeed the entire state of Ohio, is Kamama Prairie Preserve in Adams County. With 43 state-listed  plant species, it is a real showcase for rare plants, and is one of the finest alkaline short-grass prairies to be found in all of Ohio. There are many mustard treasures to be found here.

The tiny Leavenworthia uniflora, Michaux’s Leavenworthia, were in full bud at this nature preserve when I wrote this article two weeks ago, after a jaunt to the area. This Leavenworthia is restricted to xeric limestone prairies such as Kamama -- a very rare habitat found in widely scattered locations from southern Ohio Adams County down to northern Alabama. The Leavenworthias bear white flowers and have plants that range in size from fitting inside the circumference of a penny, to resembling a small dandelion rosette.

Alongside Leavenworthia, several Draba species grow at Kamama. If there are enough warm sunny days in mid-winter, which certainly wasn't the case this year, Drabas may occasionally bloom as early as late February . Drabas plants range in size from a diminutive one inch in height to a whopping 5 or 6 inches in really robust specimens. The tiny white flowers rarely exceed ¼ inch in diameter. The most common Draba is the non-native Whitlow Grass, Draba verna, which is in full bloom right now in such unexotic locations as driveways and farm fields. I saw hundreds of specimens of these blooming at Kamama Prairie today. Also in bud at Kamama was the native the Cutleaf Whitlow Grass, Draba cunneafolia ; and the Carolina Whitlow, Draba reptans.

Both Leavenworthias and Drabas grow in the  EXTREMELY dry and alkaline soils that lie directly above the dolomite bedrock. Within one hour after a rain, the soil can already feel dry and powdery to the touch. The tiniest puff of wind makes the soil air-borne, and the smallest rainstorm can carry the soil away. For these reasons, soils tend not to build up in depth, but remain permanently shallow and infertile. When the sun heats up in May, a thermometer reading in these soils can ascend quickly to the 100 F. mark, the boundary of what most tiny plant species can endure. But don't let the delicate appearance of these plants fool you. Leavenworthias and Drabas may be small, but they are unbelievably tough and well-adapted. They make do in even the worst years. In a very dry spring, it is almost a religious experience to see a tiny Draba plant leaning limply above the dusty soil, the entire stem no taller than 1.5 inches, bearing a few fragile leaves, and burdened to almost the breaking point with one or two disproportionately large seeds. Drabas make you want to put your faith, as Thoreau recommended, "in a seed." Their faith has certainly managed to sustain their species for millions of years, despite relying on such undependable and harsh environments to nurture them.

Also found at Kamama Prairie is the Tansy Mustard, Descurainia pinnata, a threatened plant species in Ohio. Strangely, at Kamama Prairie the Tansy mustards rarely reach more than six inches and have greenish flowers, while elsewhere in North America they are described as being almost a meter high and bearing yellow flowers!!! The small plants at Kamama must be a geographically separate race, because even Kamama's notoriously poor soils can't be all THAT poor!

Jumping further westward across the Arc of Appalachia, yet still in Adams County, is another extremely rare mustard: the Little Whitlow Grass, Draba brachycarpa, with the only Ohio location being in the Sandy Springs area near the Ohio River--home of nearby Rock Run Preserve.

As mentioned earlier, all of these winter annuals have good years and bad years, depending on the weather. In a bad year, only a few dozen plants of the rarer species will be found, instead of thousands. Not surprisingly, many of these little mustards have extremely long seed viability. A friend of mine who has done a great deal of seed research once took a soil sample about 5 inches in depth and placed it in a warm covered pan. Many species germinated in the first inch of soil, a few things in the second, but he witnessed Leavenworthia germinating from almost 5 inches deep! It’s hard to say how long those seeds had been patiently waiting for the right light exposure, proper moisture, and proper temperature.

I call this "The Year of the Mustard" because  this year indeed promises to be a very good year. Actually, I correct myself, this year promises to be a spectacular one from what I can see so far. Today at Kamama Prairie I (March 22) witnessed literally thousands of Drabas, Leavenworthias, Tansy Mustards,. and the common hairy bitter cress plants; Cardamine hirsuta. In some areas the mustards were so dense that the otherwise bare ground was a solid carpet!!! In a couple of weeks, the weather should moderate enough that most of these will be in full bloom and should produce a delightful showcase of tiny white flowers for the avid nature lover. Just keep in mind, if you go mustard hunting, that you can cover a colony of a thousand flowers with just one blanket!! ...And if you go, don't forget that magnifying glass!

OPPORTUNITY FOR KAMAMA EXPANSION!! A 7-acre parcel has come up for sale at Kamama, arguably Ohio's finest alkaline shortgrass prairie, with a sale price of $22,000. It is critically important that no new housing sites encroach upon this world-class prairie. Our finances don't allow us to dare go into a mortgage for this property so we must raise this amount in cash in the next 30-45 days. PLEASE, GIVE WHAT YOU CAN, AND DO IT QUICKLY as we don't have much time. Click here for a donation form.

If you wish to visit Kamama Prairie on your own, you may apply for a permit by clicking here  at least 5 days in advance. Sorry our small staff and the importance of protecting this fragile preserve does not allow exceptions. There is no charge for a permit but a voluntary donation is greatly appreciated. The Arc of Appalachia is a non-profit organization. As such, donations for operating funds are essential to enable us to continue to offer public services and to maintain the trails and ecosystems in the 3000-acre system and eleven preserves. Please note, all visitors must stay strictly on the trails. Plant collection is strictly forbidden. Please note: There will be no additional permits for Kamama during the Wildflower Pilgrimage April 17-20 -- all other dates are available at this time.