« Missing? | Main | Spinning, etc. »
04.25.2004 :: Spring Wildflowers (flowsies)
Wildflower Hike! With the doggies, off the trails at Columbia Road Picnic Area.
Here's my favorite park map (this is a link to a PDF) that shows the CVNP trails along with the Metropark trails that surround the National Park.
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) :: I only found these on the very top of high ridges, usually in mossy areas. Here's another picture of the bluets to illustrate how tiny these flowers are. The pop-up gives you some sense of scale - notice the acorn in the corner. I think that all this little picture is missing is a gnome or a fairy.
Common Violet (Viola papilionacea) :: This is the earliest flower that I noticed this spring. They started blooming in March.
Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) :: These are blooming in abundance. They look kind of like a sprinkling of snow.
Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) :: These are just starting to sprout and bloom. I only saw a few of these yesterday.
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus, thanks Leigh and Bob!) :: Currently, there is no flower. In the low areas, close to streams, these cover the ground.
A list of links to "What's in Bloom".
Posted by Mary on 04.25.2004 AT 01:44 PM
Comments
that last one looks like it could be skunk cabbage
Posted by: Leigh on 04.25.2004 AT 06:22 PM
Thanks for sharing the photos, they are beautiful, and thanks for the map. My kids are home this week and we may need a little hiking in a new spot.
Posted by: Teresa C on 04.25.2004 AT 07:42 PM
I mean-I may need the hiking, somewhere not too close, so they can't find me :)
Posted by: Teresa C on 04.25.2004 AT 07:45 PM
Love the photos! The bluets are too precious---
Posted by: bluepoppy on 04.25.2004 AT 08:32 PM
those pics are gorgeous
Posted by: ann on 04.25.2004 AT 09:23 PM
oh. goodness. Gorgeous flower pictures, with Latin names and everything. You are SO amazing. Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: greta on 04.25.2004 AT 09:49 PM
Very beautiful photos!
Posted by: the country girl on 04.25.2004 AT 11:29 PM
There was a little strip of land next to the driveway at our last house which held about a half dozen Lady's Slippers. I watched for their return every year. Beautiful photos!
Posted by: Kerstin on 04.26.2004 AT 06:05 AM
Oh wow, the plants of my childhood! Skunk cabbage, ladyslippers, and BLUETS! I haven't seen bluets since I was a teenager. Those are the greatest little flowers! Guess Massachusetts must be more like Ohio than I'd have imagined.
Posted by: CarolineF on 04.26.2004 AT 08:26 AM
Great area! Wonderful pics.
Posted by: Cindy on 04.26.2004 AT 09:12 AM
Great photos. Thank you for sharing. Skunk cabbage reminds me of a kid running around in the woods by my dad's house. So stinky.
Posted by: Kathleen on 04.26.2004 AT 10:05 AM
Our yard, near the woods, has lots of Bluets. From the house, they look like blue tinted snow. A reader of my blog helped me identify them and mentioned they are also called "Quaker Ladies". We won't be seeing them for another 6 weeks!
When I am feeling the need to see green and flowers, I will visit your blog!
Posted by: Melissa on 04.26.2004 AT 11:31 AM
I always think "I wish I could make my photos look like Mary's". :) I'm in Connecticut and haven't seen nearly so much blooming. Guess I haven't looked close enough!
Posted by: Mary Beth on 04.26.2004 AT 07:44 PM
Lovely photos, Mary. You even make skunk cabbage look beautiful!
Posted by: Sharon on 04.26.2004 AT 10:59 PM
Neat photos! Looked like a great place to be. I'm still laughing about Skunk Cabbage, but I'll get over it somehow.
Posted by: teresa on 04.27.2004 AT 09:47 AM
Mary, you take beautiful pictures. Sorry to miss you next weekend.
Posted by: claudia on 04.25.2004 AT 03:46 PM