Violets and Strawberry

Round-leaved Violets come up before their leaves fully unfurl.

Common Blue Violets can be white with blue lines.

Long-spurred Violets are found in rich woods.

Found one Wild Strawberry in flower.

Tiny white flower finds

Hairy Bittercress is noted by its basal leaves.

Spring Draba, common Whitlow Grass, will cover disturbed ground with its tiny rosettes and tiny white flowers.

Shepherd's Purse, or Lady's Purse, is a common weed a bit taller than Draba.

Two early spring finds

Trailing Arbutus has begun to flower.

One Bluet flower. Soon there will be many more.

Bloodroot

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is unfurling from its leaves. Its name is derived from the Latin for "bloody." Its sap is red.

More signs of spring

Spring Beauties live in colonies. Where you find one there are usually more to be found.

Hepatica flowers rise above their leaves.

Mourning Cloak butterflies are the earliest to show up.

Early Saxifrage

Early Saxifrage grows in cracks in rocks. Its name actually means "rock breaker."

Early spring blossoms

Coltsfoot is one of the first to arrive on the scene. The flowers bloom before the leaves show up.

Dandelion , the dreaded weed, offer a bright yellow flower.

Purple Dead Nettle is called "dead" because there are no stinging nettles. Also called Henbit.

Beaked Hazelnut has the male catkins and the small female flowers.

Daphne is a shrubby plant the blooms very early.

Looking for Spring

In searching for spring some expected and some unexpected things showed up.

Periwinkle or commonly called Myrtle

Thale cress - very short lived common weed

Little Mouse-ear Chickweed

House Finch soaking up the sun.

Sandy Jointweed

Sandy Jointweed favors dry sandy locations, and it first flowers very late in the season. John

Slender Gerardia, Purslane

Slender Gerardia favors dry woods and fields. I also find it on sandy river banks.

Purslane, AKA Pusley, shows up in gardens and waste places. John

False Nettle, Black Vulture

Moist or boggy areas are home to False Nettle.

A Black Vulture was cleaning up roadkill along Rte. 30. John