Central Ohio NatureBe Quick or You’ll Miss Them
One of the rights of spring that my wife and I truly enjoy is looking for the early spring wildflowers. These are the flowers that came out before the forest canopy leafs out and blocks the light. Some appear for only a day or two so there are years that we miss them altogether. Some are very small and easy to miss unless you look very carefully. Others are fairly rare so you count your good fortune when you see them. All are beautiful in their own way. The flowers below were all seen in central Ohio above and below the dam at Griggs and Hoover Parks not far from where we live.
click on the images for a better look
Toadshade Trillium, common but only if you look in the right place!
At this point the leaves are competing with the flowers for our attention. In a few days a purple flower should appear. (Donna)
The purple flower is yet to come. (Donna)
The Snow Trillium is smaller than the more common later blooming trilliums and is rare in central Ohio.
Snow Trillium, not real common in central Ohio so we were fortunate to see this one.
Snow Trillium, (Donna)
Duchman’s Breeches are fairly common and a close look when the flowers are fully developed will make you smile.
Dutchman’s Breeches, a little early the flowers are still coming out. It will be better in a couple of days.
A closer look, (Donna)
Cutleaf Toothwort
Cutleaf Toothwort, a few days before it blooms, (Donna)
Blood Root has a nice sized but fragile and short lived flower.
Blood Root, (Donna)
Bloodroot
Bloodroot, (Donna)
Hepatica is fairly common.
Hepatica
Hepatica, study 2, (Donna)
Hepatica, study 3
Hepatica, study 4, (Donna)
Virginia Waterleaf
Virginia waterleaf, the leaves are beautiful but loose this appearance as spring progresses, (Donna)
Harbinger of Spring, a very small, very close to the ground, flower.
Harbinger of Spring, (Donna)
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I took a break from the wildflowers so that a pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets could again show me just how difficult they can be to photograph. As they fluttered from branch to branch, never stopping for more than a fraction of a second, even on a single point focus setting the camera didn’t know what to focus on.
Trust me! It’s a Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet, take two.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Donna’s mystery flower is beautiful.
It’s great to see the flowers. Hepatica is rare in this area, and very hard to find so it was nice to see it. I’m not sure what the mystery flowers is but I’d guess it might be spring cress or another plant in the cress family.
We looked and looked and finally figured out it must be Harbinger of Spring. A new flower for us probably because it is so small.
It looks like you’re right. That’s another one I haven’t seen here.
Such a nice combination of “spring.” You’re ahead of us.
I so much enjoyed seeing flowers that I don’t get to see here. Beautiful blossoms!
A very nice collection of early spring flowers!
I’m impressed you can name so many of them!!! I think I’ve already missed the early bloomers around here this year. Great shots BTW! 🙂