Walking with Wake Up, Woods

The Indiana Native Plant Society’s first children’s book takes you on a journey to find Spring’s signs of life through beautiful native plant species. Native plants have deep roots that prevent stormwater runoff and recharge our groundwater supplies. ROW’s Education and Ecology Committee members want to share their magic with you! Watch below to learn about these important members of our urban ecosystems. You can purchase Wake Up, Woods from local businesses like Kid’s Ink Children’s Bookstore and Indy Reads Books.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Melissa Moran of The Nature Conservancy reads about this spring ephemeral with a root that has a striking red sap.

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

See how this pretty flower develops with Carolyn Wamsley, who served on the Steering Committee for Wake Up, Woods.

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Carolyn shows us Spring Beauty, a flower with pink pollen!

Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

Ethan Olson of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful explores Washington Park. See what he finds!

Violets (Viola family)

Young explorer Maura shows us this common, but beautiful and beneficial spring flower.

Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis)

Maura heads to Broad Ripple Park and finds several native spring flowers growing!

Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)

Ann Neidnagel of the Environmental Education Association of Indiana shows us this bright yellow flower with four petals.

Trilliums (Trillium recurvatum and T. grandiflorum)

Barb Homoya shows us this white flower, the Snow Trillium.

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)

Ann finds this white wildflower with umbrella-shaped leaves.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Join Ethan of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful at Paul Ruster Park to discover this herbaceous spring ephemeral.

Colombine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Sarah Wright from the Indianapolis Zoo finds this plant that blooms with a bright flower that attracts exciting wildlife.

Fire Pinks (Silene virginica)

Brenda Howard, Senior Ecologist with Indy Land Stewardship,  finds brightly blooming Fire Pinks at Southeastway Park.

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)

Dean and Pete show us these interesting ferns that unfurl as they grow.

Wake Up, Woods was made possible by:

Indiana Native Plant Society

The Nature Conservancy

Indiana Academy of Science

Central Indiana Land Trust

Niches Land Trust

Reconnecting to Our Waterways

Central Indiana Community Foundation

Sycamore Land Trust

Mark M. Holeman Inc.

And 126 individual contributors