Changes are occurring every day at The Pocket. Probably the biggest news is that there are a couple of white trillium that are near opening, with one open enough to see the interior of the blossom (T. flexipes, probably.)
Listed below are the flowering plants I spotted, along with four others which aren’t yet flowering, but for which I identified the foliage for the first time this spring.
- Bellwort: Large-flowered bellwort are blooming in several locations now.
- Bloodroot: I only spotted three blossoms, two of them north of the parking lot rather than down along the creek. The seedpods are nicely formed on most plants.
- Blue cohosh: Blooming, pretty easy to find along the boardwalk.
- Blue phlox: Numerous, not only along the horse trail as previously reported, but also along the boardwalk now.
- Chickweed has been blooming for a long time, but they are really looking nice now. The dark anthers are showing well.
- Columbine: Several have flower buds, but I think we’re still a week or so away from a bloom.
- Dutchman’s breeches: Continuing a nice display; will probably be blooming for a couple more weeks.
- Foamflower: Several very nice bunches along the boardwalk.
- Hepatica blossoms are decreasing, but still easy to find.
- *Iris leaves are showing up along the slope from the horse trail down to the creek.
- *Mayapple: Foliage is prominent, but difficult to spot from the trails along the creek. There is a patch on a flat well above the creek just upstream from the end of the boardwalk.
- *Miterwort (Bishop’s cap): I spotted one patch of them along the creek (see photo below.)
- Purple phacelia: Commonly open now.
- Rue anemone are numerous, and quite beautiful.
- *Solomon’s seal: Several with little buds starting on them. Most of the plants were less than a foot high.
- Spring Beauty: Still many of them around, but not dominant/prominent like before.
- Toadshade (Trillium cuneatum): There was at least one with its bloom open.
- Toothworts: Waning, with most having lost more blossoms than remain.
- Trailing trillium: At peak, most with open blossoms.
- Trout lily: Still numerous.
- Virginia bluebell: Numerous; I think I’m about ready to call “Peak!”
- Wild geranium: Starting to be common along the boardwalk, and numerous along the horse trail.
- Wood (celandine) poppy: Numerous, but not at peak yet.
- *Wood sorrel: Single blossom spotted along the horse trail.
- Violets:
- Canada violets: There were only a few 4 days ago, numerous now.
- Common blue violet: Common in quantity, but uncommonly beautiful.
- Downy yellow violet: Hundreds of them.
- Long-spurred violets: Quite numerous along the horse trail, as noted on the 18th.
* First spotting of the plant this season.