Last week we reported that the Dutchman’s Breeches were very close to blooming.  My wife and I didn’t want to miss that relatively brief bloom period, so we headed back down there today to check on them.  I’ll let the picture below tell the story.

Dutchman’s Breeches – Dicentra cucullaria – about 10 plants are blooming.

Read on for the rest of the list, and a few more photos.  Click on the photos for larger images, and then “back” to return to this page.

Virginia Bluebells – Mertensia virginica – Many plants with a few blossoms open; a few plants with many.

• Virginia Bluebells are starting to bloom; peak is probably a week away.
• Blue Cohosh with lots of flower buds; really close.
• Hepatica are abundant, but starting their decline.
• Cutleaf Toothwort are abundant, but starting their decline.
• Carolina Spring Beauties are blooming quite profusely, probably at peak.
• Star Chickweed continuing to increase in number.
• Violets are coming into their own.  While I didn’t see any Canada Violets,  Viola sororia and Viola rostrata were common (at least up on the horse trail.)  Also saw a number of Field Pansies (Viola bicolor.)
• The Trailing Trillium are everywhere, and we found a number with barely opened blossoms.
• We many Toadshade Trilliums starting form their flower buds.
• Many Bent White Trilliums with flower buds, some already bent over, and a couple with just a bit of white showing.
• Bloodroot are still blooming, but they’ll probably start declining in the next week.
• Spicebush is blooming.
• There were a few Bellwort blooming.

Perfoliate Bellwort – Uvularia perfoliata – pretty sure this isn’t U. grandiflora. I didn’t check for granular surface on tepals.

Aside from the Dutchman’s breeches, and the violets mentioned above, here’s what we added this week:

• A single Phacelia blooming along the horse trail.
• Several Bishop’s Cap – Mitella diphylla – blooming along the trail to the falls.
• Sedum ternatum are about to bloom in a number of areas, and my wife spotted a single plant will a fully open blossom along the horse trail.

Woodland stonecrop – Sedum ternatum – found a single open blossom – many are getting close.

• There were a few Wood Poppies just beginning to bloom – Stylophorum diphyllum.
• Several Heartleaf Foamflower are showing their flower buds, including the one that I reported a few weeks back.  It had disappeared, probably due to some cold weather, but is back.
• We spotted a Cumberland Spurge unfolding its leaves with its cyathium starting to appear.
• Near the bottom of the horsetrail was a Virginia Pennywort – Obolaria virginica.

Virginia Pennywort – Obolaria virginica