Site Location 

Bloodroot and the Future of Our Forest Floor

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is one of the native wildflowers we’re working to restore at our forest sites. As a spring ephemeral, it emerges early in the growing season, playing a vital role in nutrient cycling and pollinator support. Bloodroot also forms a unique partnership with ants, which disperses its seeds away from the parent plant. By restoring bloodroot, we’re not just bringing back a beautiful plant—we’re rebuilding the complex web of interactions that define a healthy forest floor.

Planting Day

Near Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca, Prior lab members along with FORCES staff and interns established a total of 10 plots inside and outside deer fencing and planted bloodroot to augment the existing population. We planted 8 plants in each plot, for a total of of 80 plants across plots. 

Wildflowers and Ants: Partners in Restoration

​

​Our wildflower restoration sites highlight the vital role ants play in native ecosystems. Many forest wildflowers rely on ants for seed dispersal. In this video, an ant carries a seed away from the parent plant, reducing competition, seed predation, and increasing the chance for successful germination.

Invasive Slugs

​An invasive Arion ​sp. slug feeds on the elaiosome of a bloodroot seed in a pod during a dispersal trial. Unlike ants, which carry the entire seed away, slugs consume only the elaiosome leaving the seed behind.