Tiff, this is one of those times you're going to wish you had fresh seed, because those would germinate in just a few weeks with no chill :) I made a huge mistake when buying plants on site at the former Heronswood - they were so expensive, I purchased ONE of some, and the flowers come male or female...no ripe seed! Gotta open my wallet and shop somewhere again this year, spice up their dating/mating life. Dried stored seed can take a few months (you'll want to soak 24 hrs minimum before sowing, even if WS), and germination is sporadic/erratic, about the time you give up on more, another seed will germinate. You aren't likely to have any significant growth the first year, a. consanguineum needs to form a tuber before it shows much above soil that you can appreciate. I think you should plan on keeping the seedlings in pots at least the first year so choose your container/depth accordingly, or you could pot up individually later. This is a GREAT plant though, so I hope you get good germination and lots of seedlings. With your taste in plants, do you have a copy of The Explorer's Garden, Hinkley? Lots of interesting propagation notes and cultural information, I think you'd really enjoy the book.

Jacks are pretty hearty. They are ephemeral and may just go dormant due to the disturbance. They may do nothing this year... but should come back just fine next year. They like moisture, rich soil, leaf mulch and shade.

Jacks will take a bit of tromping, and will probably come back. And if they are at all established, or otherwise fairly happy, they can "disappear" for a year, and then return later. But they are also very amenable to being moved. That's the safer course, if you can. To Adam, This is not at all a strange place to find Jacks in MA. Cool side of a protected area. Just it's cup of tea [grin]. You say you have clay soil..... Clay loam? or serious clay? Is it sort of difficult to dig, and turns in largish clumps? Or is it pretty much impossible to dig, and dries out by about midsummer to cracks and furrows? If clay loam sounds more likely...... The Jack will be happy. Leave it if you can. But if you *need* to move it.... It's not a terrible time to do so, if you are willing to water a few times over the next few weeks. But under a maple?? Probably a bad choice. Depends a little on the kind of maple, but most will dry out the surrounding soil, even beyond the tree's dripline. Jacks will be happier in partial shade/partial sun than they will be in more shade under a maple. Take some more advice from people in your area before moving this Jack, if you want to keep and encourage it.

Hello to Wildflower Seekers, my name is Victory Lee and I am an artist of oil paintings and Chinese Brush Painting and make jewelry but that gets old when spring comes but would trade art or jewelry for the things I am discussing below. I take a lot of photos of the things I find in our woods. I live in the Chengwatana State Forest in East Central Minnesota about a stones throw from the St.Croix River on 5 acres of a heavily wooded (Oaks, Elm, Aspen and a few Pines)area about 5 miles east of Rush City, MN. I went out and did some scouting just a few days ago and we have had an early warm spring with a few cold snaps and we usually do not warm up until May and this early spring started in March! We also had a very mild winter which everyone loved, but is really not too good for the earth where I live. Subject: I have so many Jack in the Pulpit I can not believe it, we have always had the big Canadian Trillium and Wild Gardenia, Blood Root, Wild Strawberries, Wild Aster and so many others I would have to go out and make a list. Does anyone want to trade seed heads from Jack in the Pulpit when they turn to the berry stage or any info on pitcher plants and if I do not find Morels I would like to know what to do to get spore so I can grow my own in my woods. I should have morel mushrooms considering the area I live in and the growing conditions. I have also some of the most beautiful poisonous mushrooms I have ever seen of which we take photos of only for obvious reasons. The best one, my husband found on our ATV trail. The cap was brilliant orange with geometrical white bumps growing all over it and the Cap was about the size of a really big cantaloupe. I feel very blessed with what we have in our woods except for the wood ticks and mosquitoes, but I will take the good and rid myself of the bad. I have a bog area at the back of our land and I want to grow pitcher plants. Since I have so many Jacks and Canadian Trillium I was wondering if anyone knew how to find Pitcher Plants where I live, how to grow them or where to find the seed if that is what they even have. If they would like to trade the red seed head of the Jacks and anything else that is unusual for heavily wooded wildflowers I would be very happy. I am going out on a morel mushroom hunt this Sunday in the woods, I am told by an expert in the area of mushrooming that this Sunday will be the best time to look. I do know that they are prone to grow by dead elms but not old big dead elms, but rather smaller ones compared to the giants that may go down from a storm. If I find Morels it will be like finding buried treasure to me. We have a lot of edible mushrooms such as Sulfur shelf and Oh dang I forgot the names...oyster? Oh Nuts! I can't remember the names , botella? but those wre filled with little tiny white worms when I soaked the mushrooms in salted water over night I could not bring my self to eat them, there were thousands of the little worms in the big bowl and all over the table. I will have to get my book out and look the other mushrooms up and let anyone know what I have and how to trade mushroom spore but I understand the danger if you do not. I also have other edible things like ramp and wild chives everywhere. I would like to find a field guide to foraging for wild food in our woods. The ramp is delish. I should have orchids too, I grow them in the house , but want to find the wild ones. OK I have said enough. I will check this sight daily to see if anyone has an interest in trading.