Wildflower Wednesday a Bit Late

Sanguinaria canadensis

I'm back from the rabbit hole of photo editing the pictures for my exhibition. (Reminds me of Mussorgsky's  Pictures at an Exhibition, I'm humming The Great Gate of Kiev as I type.) I emerged from said rabbit hole too late on Wednesday to get my Wildflower Wednesday* post up on time, but since I missed last month's opportunity I decided what the heck. As further incentive, the wildflowers have gone, well, wild with the incredibly warm temperatures of the previous two weeks. Fortunately, temperatures have returned to normal before all the bloodroot (Sanguinaria) faded.

Also down to their last few blooms are the hepaticas. This is how Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa, the round-leaved hepatica looked last week.

They really don't like temperatures in the 80s.

Weathering the weather better are the Anemonella thalictroides (a/k/a Thalictrum thalictroides).

This stand had some rebloom last fall and is clearly well contented. Its pink variant is also in full bloom now.

The little trout lily, Erythronium albidum, began blooming this week.

You have to get on your knees to appreciate this tiny charmer.

Significantly taller, yet best appreciated close up is blue cohosh, Caulophyllum thalictroides.

These freakish flowers are merely a sideshow. The main attraction comes in mid-summer in the form of deep blue berries. I suppose that's how most people view it. I am actually drawn to the blooms.

I decided that none of my trilliums were Trillium grandiflorum, so I planted a couple last summer. I believe this is one of them.

The white trilliums are so similar and cannot be distinguished from across the garden or in the dark. The rest of the Squirrelhaven trilliums are in bud or still sprouting.

That blue in the background of the above photo isn't a native wildflower, but this blue is: Mertensia virginica.

Most of the bluebells are in full bloom or starting to fade. I love them in combination with the bright yellow of the celadine poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum.

Stylophorum diphyllum

Despite the common name, it's not really a poppy.

While looking down at the wildflowers has been fun, I'm starting to get a crick in the neck. So let's look up for one last native wildflower currently gracing my garden.

Cercis canadensis

The little redbud tree is in full bloom, with its funky slipper-shaped flowers.

With all this going on now, a month early, I have no clue what wildflowers will be in bloom for April's Wildflower Wednesday. The little woodland wildflowers, ephemeral and not, are my absolute favorites. I hate to miss a single day of them.


*Wildflower Wednesday is a monthly celebration of native wildflowers hosted by Gail of Clay of Limestone.