-
Roundleaf Ragwort
April 17, 2026 Roundleaf Ragwort (Packera obovata), buds of deep rich purple that turn to lovely yellow as spring gets warmer. Growing along the trails and the roadside up here. Native to eastern North America. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
-
A Yellow Violet
April 16, 2026 One of my many favorites. Often seen up here in the spring. Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens). Perhaps a favorite because it is different. Not blue, purple, or white. Different is often good. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
-
Yellow Trillium Not Quite Native
April 15, 2026 Yellow Trillium (Trillium luteum), native to the Southern Appalachian region, including Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Kentucky. Close, but not native to Virginia. In one of my gardens anyway, with a backdrop of Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) which is indeed native to Virginia. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog…
-
Flower With No Petals
April 14, 2026 Rue Anenome (Thalictrum thalictroides), native to eastern North America, blooming right now in the woods up here. An herbaceous perennial that grows to 4 to 8 inches in height. It’s petals are not true petals but are white to pale pink sepals which encircle a bundle of yellow-green stamens. These flowers produce…
-
Cardinal Surrounded By Spring
April 13, 2026 Male Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) A brilliant scarlet Cardinal surrounded by the soft colors of spring in its beginning. Pinks of Redbud (Cercis canadensis) in the background. Pale greens of just emerging leaves, ivory of bracts, and tiny dots of yellow green of the actual flowers of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). Each season…
-
Blackhaw
April 11, 2026 Blooming all over the mountains up here, trying to get as much attention as the Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) and Redbud (Cercis canadensis) trees. Nearly as common as those two trees, the Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium). This small tree is native to eastern North America, Connecticut west to eastern Kansas, and south to…
-
Lots Of Mayapples
April 11, 2026 Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). An herbaceous perennial plant that’s between 1 to 1.5 feet tall. They’re native to nearly every state east of the Rocky Mountains, from the Great Lakes down to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Nonflowering stems of each plant produce a single leaf. Flowering stems produce a pair…
-
Thank You Pollinators
April 8, 2026 A Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) gathering nectar and pollen from the blooms of Blueberry bushes (Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus). Of course it doesn’t realize it, but its efforts result in blueberries appearing on the bushes in late May. Soon after they ripen, they will become blueberry muffins, blueberry pies and toppings for…