Spring has come early in NW Ohio this year.
All these wildflowers are blooming profusely in our little 2 acres
of woods behind the house. The woods has a very damp environment
for these little lovelies. Since these early spring bloomers are so short lived,
I decided to make them last a little longer by taking
their pictures and sharing them with you.
I hope you enjoy them.
Trillium are so named because they have
three petals and three leaves. The trillium
is Ohio's state wildflower. It is a white flower
that turns pink as it fades away.
Downy Yellow Violet
A lovely variety of the better known blue.
Dutchman's Breeches
Don't these look like pantaloons?
Blue Phlox
Light blue, 5 petaled, about
10" tall.
Catnip
I think! If you know, e-mail me, but as far as I
can tell from my North American Wildlife book
this is a mint-- I didn't smell it when I took it's
picture (I guess I should take my cat to
investigate).
Spring Beauties
These range from white to pink and have dark
red little veins. They grow in large colonies and
their tubular roots can be eaten, but would take a
lot of gathering to make a meal!
Common Blue Violet
Common perhaps, but I love them... Did you know
they can be made into a jam? Can you imagine
collecting the petals for jam?
Merrybells
Yellow, bell-shaped flowers
hanging from tips of leafy branches.
Gill-over-the ground
Scalloped,
heart-shaped leaves with clusters of
violet blue flowers. This is the only species of this
Eurasian groundcover to become firmly
established in the New World. It was once widely
used in France to help ferment beer and was
drunk in England to counteract lead-poisoning,
because the leaves are high in vitamin C.
Bleeding Heart
This plant is in my garden,
but is technically a wildflower.
Close-up of Bleeding Heart
More Spring Beauties
May your Spring be full of
moments of Beauty.
