5-31 Hoary Alyssum

5-31
Tiny flowers with 4 deeply cleft petals mark Hoary Alyssum.
Showy white 5 petaled flowers identify the invasive Multi-flora Rose.
And in a cornfield the broken wing decoy act of a Kildeer led me to a nest with 4 beautifully marked, and remarkably large, eggs.
John

Kildeer nest and eggs

Kildeer

Multi-flora Rose

Hoary Alyssum

5-30 Silvery Cinquefoil

5-30
Silvery Cinquefoil, Maiden Pink and Birdsfoot Trefoil were all flowering this afternoon in an old gravel parking lot. Silvery Cinquefoil can be identified by the silvery undersides of its leaves, Maiden Pink by the dark circle on its petals and Birdsfoot Trefoil by its bright yellow pea-like flowers.
John

Silvery Cinquefoil

Maiden Pink

Birdsfoot Trefoil

5-29 Ragwort

5-29
One of the Ragworts, probably Balsam Ragwort, glows golden on rocky banks and on wood edges. There are at least five Ragwort species in our area.
John

Ragwort

5-28 Common Hawkweed

5-28
Common Hawkweed is opening a few of its yellow flowers.
Yarrow is not far behind.
And in a few thickets Bristly Locust - a species introduced both as erosion control and as an ornamental - is flowering brightly. This locust spreads by root suckers and can be a bit of an invasive pest.
John

Common Hawkweed

Yarrow

Bristly Locust

5-27 Oxeye Daisy

5-27
The pea-like flowers of Black Locust are frosting the trees.
Virginia Waterleaf's long stamened white  or lavender flowers arch weakly above its mottled leaves.
And Oxeye Daisies are brightening fields and roadsides.
John

Black Locust

Virginia Waterleaf

Oxeye Daisies

5-26 One-flowered Cancerroot

5-26
The tree root parasite, One-flowered Cancerroot, is lifting its pallid head.
The delicate flowers of Stitichwort are flecking ditches.
Invasive, Wild Chervil, towers over other roadside species.
And the caterpillar of the Virgin Tiger Moth feeds on Madder, one of its favorite foods.
John

One-flowered Cancerroot

Stitchwort

Wild Chervil

Wild Chervil

caterpillar of the Virgin Tiger Moth

5-25 Starflower

5-25
Starflower is flecking woodlots.
Grove Sandwort is up along roadsides and sunny banks.
And, the white plumes of False Solomon's Seal are at their peak.
John

Starflower

Grove Sandwort

False Solomon's Seal

5-24 Pineapple Weed

5-24
Pineapple Weed. so named for its odor graces barnyards, roadsides and waste places.
Yellow Wood Sorrel colors lawns, ditches and old fields.
Mayapple's flowers dangle beneath its broad leaves.
And Yellow Goatsbeard's flowers rise above grasses but close up by midday. Later in the season their large globular dandelion-like seedheads are as remarkable as their flowers.
John

Pineapple Weed

Yellow Wood Sorrel

Mayapple

Goatsbeard

5-23 Tower Mustard

5-23
Tower Mustard lifts its little yellowish flowers over fields and waste places.
Dame's Rocket - an alien member of the mustard family - is starting to flower. It may be white, pink or purple.
The geranium relative, Herb Robert, tints damp woods and roadsides.
And the rare Lance-leaved Violets are starting to lift above the grass.
John

Tower Mustard

Dame's Rocket

Herb Robert

Lance-leaved Violet

5-22 Bouncing Bet

5-22
Bouncing Bet, AKA Soapwort, is opening a few flowers.
The diminutive, but common, flowers of Sleepy Catchfly fleck roadsides.
Low-running Blackberries trail through weedy areas and thickets.
And Pink Moccasin Flowers, on of our more common orchid species, are coloring woodlots.
John

Bouncing Bet

Sleepy Catchfly

Low-running Blackberry

Pink Moccasin Flower

5-21 Bunchberry

5-21
Bunchberry - the smallest member of the Dogwood family - is starting to flower.
And, our local Indigo Bunting finally sat still long enough for me to get a picture.
John

Bunchberry

Indigo Bunting

5-20 Red Baneberry

5-20
Red Baneberry and Swamp Buttercup are among the native species in flower.
Alien Tartarian Honeysuckle is coloring thickets.
John

Red Baneberry

Swamp Buttercup

Tartarian Honeysuckle

5-19 Starry False Solomon's Seal

5-19
Starry False Solomon's Seal is starting to open a few flowers as is Wild Madder. Both are common roadside species.
In the thickets, Hawthorn is having its day. Field guides claim as many as 50 varieties of hawthorn and say that identification is best left to the experts!
John

Starry False Solomon's Seal

Wild Madder

Hawthorn

5-18 Azalea

5-18
Azaleas are opening along the banks of the West River, red Clovers are starting to flower and Autumn Olive is at its peak.
John

Azalea

Clover

Autumn Olive

5-17 Hooked Crowfoot

5-17
Hooked Crowfoot, one of the many species in the Buttercup family, is open for business.
Galaxies of Common Cinquefoil blaze in the fields.
Blue-eyed Grass is putting in an occasional appearance.
American Copper butterflies are taking advantage of the bounty!
John

Hooked Crowfoot

Common Cinquefoil

Blue-eyed Grass

American Copper

5-16 Thyme-leaved Speedwell

5-16
The tiny flowers of Thyme-leaved Speedwell come in tow colors - white or pale blue. The leaves of this Speedwell are 1/4 - 1/2 inch long. Flowers are from 1/8 - 1/4 inch wide.
John