Spring 2012

     Today is Thursday March, 29 2012 and it is spring time in north Alabama. Spring arrived early     this year and has hung around with not much cool weather to push it back. I have taken a lot of wildflower photos, most of which have bloomed earlier than normal. Here are a few of the photos.
I'm not an expert on wildflowers at all, but do try to identify the ones I find.

     This is an Hepatica plant, sometimes called liverleaf or liverwort. It is one of the earliest blooming wildflowers. I took this photo on the 5th of March. The blooms are always beautiful and are in stark contrast to the dead leaves and barren woods around.

     Daffodils aren't really wildflowers but these ae growing wild in the woods near the house. They are also very early to bloom.

     Trout Lily. This is one of my favorite wildflowers. I know of just one place within walking distance from the house where they are located, but there is a huge colony of them. Last year I transplanted a few of these closer to home, but still in the wilderness. They came up this spring but aren't old enough to bloom yet. These have one leaf when they are young. It seems to emerge straight from the ground. Later they have two leaves and only then do they bloom. They are pollinated by ants.

                                        Another Trout Lily.

                                          and another one.

                                    Trilliums growing in a concave part of a huge rock.

                                         Rue Anemone. The flowers are similiar to Hepatica, but there are differences. The Hepatica has fuzzy stems, the anthers of the bloom are white compared to yellow for the Rue Anemone above.

                   This is a wild hyacinth. Its leaves are grass-like. The blooms are similiar to foamflower.

                                  This is a foamflower. The differences in the leaves can be seen.

                                  Bluets. My yard is full of these.

                                       Bellwort

            A small ginseng plant. I took this photo 24 March. The earliest I have ever seen them before was about the middle of April. Looking at when the wildflowers have bloomed, I'd say we are about three weeks ahead of normal spring-wise.

                                                 Violet

                                        Wood Vetch bloom.

                                       Wood Sorrel.

                                            Wild Geranium.

                                               Blue Eyed Grass.

               That's all for now.  Later