Plants in each of the four seasons of the year

Autumn

Selected features of plants in autumn are:

• Changes in colours of leaves and leaf shedding. When there is a lack of the sunlight radiation and temperature decreases, photosynthesis in plants stops. Nutrients transfer into trunks and roots. The proportion of plant pigment composition changes. At low temperatures, the supply of water for plants is limited or unable. The leaves represent a large evaporating surface for the plant; therefore the plant disposes of them – they shed. Only evergreen deciduous plants and conifers (except larch) have leaves protected by a waxy coating, the cuticle, and their stomata are deep-set. These trees can keep their leaves as they are protected against water loss and freezing.

• Ripening of fruit and seeds. Distinct colouring of fruit is important for plant spreading. Some of the plants’ fruit and seeds are provided with “adhesive devices”, for example hooks of burdocks’ infructescence, bedstraws’ hairy joints, which they use in order to disperse by adhering to animal fur. Plants also use wind for their dispersion. Their dry non-dehiscent fruits have “flying devices”, for example wings (maple, elm, ash), bracts (lime infructescence) etc. Man by his activities in nature (agriculture, transport) also participates on plant dispersion to a great extent.

• Until October colchicum blooms in meadows. Colchicum blooms in autumn but it bears fruits in spring. Thus, in the same year it has fruits first before it blooms. Colchicum belongs to very toxic plants.

• Growth of autumn mushrooms, for example honey mushrooms, blewit mushrooms, yellow knights, scarlet fly cap etc.

Winter

Selected features of plants in winter are:

• In winter mistletoe grows in treetops. It is a symbol of Christmas, happiness and joy for the following year. Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant which spreads by white sticky berries which birds feed on. Mistletoe grows very slowly and only one segment of a twig grows in a year.

• In winter we can observe linchens (cup lichen, common orange lichen etc.).

Spring

Selected features of plants in spring are:

• Buds of trees and bushes that started up in the past autumn are getting bigger and gradually leaves and flowers start sprouting and shooting. At the end of February or beginning of March, antheral flowers in aments on hazel trees start growing, even before leaves do. On alder trees antheral flowers in aments often appear as early as February. Similarly, we can usually see antheral flowers in aments on goat willows, colloquially called catkins, in March. At the end of March, bundles of needles start sprouting on larches and at the same time yellow antheral flowers and red pistillate flowers in small cones start appearing as well.

• In gardens and parks weeping forsythia starts blooming with yellow flowers. In avenues Sakura, the Japanese cherry, blooms pink.

• Herbs survived the winter by means of their underground tubers, bulbs or rhizomes and the first spring plants start to grow. Herbs that flower in early spring are snowdrops. They are often confused with snowflakes which have small white flowers with yellow and green marks.

• Typical herbs of groves are cowslips, liverleaves, anemones, lesser celandines with yellow flowers, lungworts, violets, etc.

• Along the roads coltsfoot can be spotted. Near streams and in marshes marsh-marigolds are seen. In meadows dandelions and daisies bloom abundantly.

• In fields, spring wheat, whose plants have a distinctly green colour, is sprouting. Similarly, spring barley of yellow and green colour, is sprouting too.

• In gardens and parks, spring ornamental bulbuous plants occur, for example daffodils, tulips, croci, grape hyacinth etc.

• In gardens vegetables are sown, potatoes are pre-sprouted and seedlings of lettuce and cruciferous vegetables (kohlrabi, cauliflower, cabbage, kale) are planted.

• In woods the first spring mushrooms start appearing, for example common morel, St. George‘s mushroom, entoloma etc.

• At the end of spring, but also at the beginning of summer lime trees, rowans, elders, maples, horse-chestnuts etc. bloom

Summer

Selected features of plants in summer are:

• Period of climax vegetation of plants. A variety of meadow plants bloom, for example ox-eye daisies, yarrows, Ragged-Robins, spreading bellflowers, meadow buttercups, white clovers etc.

• Period of more significant growth of mushrooms’ fruiting bodies, typical for the summer season (gilled mushroom etc.)

• Cereal is ripening and in August the harvest time starts. Potatoes bloom in the summer. At the end of August hops ripen. 

• In orchards cherries, sour cherries, summer variety of apples and pears ripen.

• In gardens fruit and vegetable picking of strawberries, cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, peppers etc. is taking place.