We've been waiting for spring for literally months; now that it's finally here, I have to remind myself to appreciate each plant in its turn. For all their benefit to the ecosystem, spring native plants aren't always as showy or large as the exotics that are so widely planted.
I am enjoying the Sweet Betsy trillium (Trillium cuneatum) just starting to bloom in my yard. We recently rescued some of this petite perennial from a construction project; so many of these small, ephemeral things get overlooked and yet I imagine a time when they might have carpeted the woodlands around here.
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| Trillium cuneatum |
This week I had a chance to stop by Stone Mountain. I was interested to see what spring granite outcrop plants might be blooming. The woolly groundsel (Packera dubia) was just getting started but the elf-orpine (Diamorpha smallii) was not yet flowering. You can see photos of flowering elf-orpine at my Heggie's Rock post from 2013. One young serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) was flowering like mad, ahead of all others I've seen.
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| Amelanchier arborea |
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| Diamorpha smallii - not quite ready |
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| Packera dubia |
On the way back home, I enjoyed the many flowering redbuds that lined the edges of wild roads. By next week, many of them will be done. I was glad I got out to see them at their best. Don't rush through spring - take time to notice the diversity of our native flora during their season.
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| Redbud (Cercis canadensis) |
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