What Is It?

• Some people compare me to pants.
• Like the kind that they wear north of France.
• I’m really just like other plants.
• Except I move by the efforts of ants.

Dutchman’s Breeches

Dutchman’s breeches is a wildflower that blooms from mid-March through April on forested hillsides throughout Missouri. The plant’s dainty white flowers look like tiny pairs of pants (breeches), similar to the kind once worn by farmers in the Netherlands. The beautiful blossoms are short-lived. Once trees leaf out, Dutchman’s breeches disappear. The plant’s seeds, however, are collected by ants and spread to other locations.