I was excited to see my first Columbine of the season in bloom.  Several plants were forming their blossoms, like in the photo here, but one plant along the horse trail had several blossoms open.  Read on for the full list of what I remember blooming today.

Eastern Red Columbine, Wild Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis

The boardwalk has been repaired, and they did an excellent job of it.  The road has also been graded and is in as good a shape as I’ve seen it.  Flowers blooming pretty much match the list for this time of year over on the dedicated page for The Pocket. Here is a list of what I found blooming, in the order I remembered it. Sorry for the lack of organization; it’s late and it’s been a long day.

• Redbud – Blooming, not yet peak
• Bloodroot – Declining but easily found.
• Toothwort – Continuing to be abundant
• Virginia Bluebell – Peak or just before.
• Wood Poppy – A few blooming.
• Carolina Spring Beauty – Abundant, perhaps dominant. It was evening when I was there and most were closed.
• Trout Lily – Peak; abundant; beautiful
• Trailing Trillium – Beginning to bloom.
• Bent White Trillium – Just beginning; didn’t see any fully open
• Blue Cohosh – Abundant foliage; blossoms beginning
• Dutchman’s Breeches – Many in bloom near the end of the boardwalk
• Canada Violet – a few along the boardwalk; abundant along the trail to the falls and up the horse trail
• Common Blue Violet – still around
• Round Yellow Violet – still blooming
• Longspur Violet – Abundant, but they seem to be starting to decline.
• Purple Phacelia – Single plant that I saw blooming; others are budding.
• Columbine – Buds forming blossoms along the trail; a few blooming along the road.
• Foamflower – A few small plants with some blooms open.
• Woodland Stonecrop – Buds are white; probably close to opening.
• Rue Anemone – Common now.  Look at the leaves and you’ll quickly see that they aren’t Hepatica.
• Hepatica – Still blooming and common, but not as abundant as before.
• Star Chickweed – Abundant, with several very beautiful clumps.
• Bellwort – Some buds forming; they’ll be along soon. Didn’t see any blossoms.
• Wild Blue Phlox – Found one plant along the horse trail with buds forming.
• Wild Geranium – Saw a single wild geranium just opening along the horse trail.