March 9, 2022 Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) is a small perennial herb beloved for its attractive, pink-striped white flowers. It grows in rich, moist forest soils and blooms from March to May, produces its seed capsules, and then disappears until spring comes again. There is another Claytonia species native to Virginia, Carolina spring beauty or Broad-leaved spring beauty (C. caroliniana), […]
March, 24, 2021 Maples (genus Acer) are deciduous trees with oppositely-arranged lobed leaves and winged fruits called samaras. There are eight species of maple native to Virginia: the sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (Acer rubrum), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum), mountain maple (Acer spicatum), black maple (Acer nigrum), southern sugar maple (Acer floridanum), and the boxelder […]
March 22, 2021 Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a perennial wildflower in the poppy family whose blooms are one of the first signs of spring. They grow in rich woodland soils and produce single, showy white flowers with bright yellow stamens and a single, lobed basal leaf that often wraps around the flower’s stem. Each flower only lasts for one to two days. Bloodroot is named for its rhizomes, which are thick and produce a reddish juice or sap if cut. This juice has traditionally been used as […]
March 27, 2020 Round-lobed Hepatica (Anemone americana). We were pleased to find 2 hepaticas yesterday. Their unique pale purple caught our attention amidst the blanket of spring beauties (Claytonia virginica – perhaps the focus of a future post) nearby. All of these early spring flowers are a spectacular sight to see and not just for us but also for some […]