It had been 10 days during the ‘peak development period’ of wildflowers at The Pocket since I’d last been there, and nearly a month since my only “full inventory” of the season (5 species). It was a beautiful (if chilly) day today, so I headed down there for a more leisurely visit. Definitely worthwhile, and if you want to see the Dutchmen’s Breeches this year, better get there soon. That being said, I counted 29 species blooming.

Large-flowered Bellwort – Uvularia grandiflora

Here is the full list of what I found blooming (Click on the hyper-linked scientific name to go to the page with more photos/information on that species.):

• • Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) – Still plentiful, but fewer and fewer.
  • Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) – Still plentiful, but most are showing their age. I *think* there is also some Cardamine angustata along the boardwalk as well.
  • Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) – Only found two blooming; essentially gone to seed.
  • Carolina Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana) – Still quite plentiful.
  • Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) – Lots and lots of them.
  • Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) – Still plentiful.
  • Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) – Plentiful, although I’ve seen fewer blooming this year than in past years. Many plants with leaves, so I don’t know if I’ve just not been there at peak, or if there is something else impacting the number of blooming plants.
  • Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) Plentiful, starting to outnumber the Hepatica along the boardwalk.
  • Long-spurred Violet (Viola rostrata) – Plentiful, especially up along the “horse trail.”
  • Canada Violet (Viola canadensis) – Quite a few of these are open.
  • Smooth Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) – Many
  • Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) – Many
  • Field Pansy (Viola bicolor) – Along the driveway down to the boardwalk.
  • Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) – The few still blooming are looking pretty scraggly.
  • Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) – Probably close to peak.
  

  Bishop’s Cap – Mitella diphylla

  • Wood Poppy, aka Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) – Fewer than 10 days ago.
  • Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) – Quite a few still blooming, but definitely in hard decline. See them this week or you may miss this year’s crop.
  • Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) – Plentiful; most plants just starting to open.
  • Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) – Just a few are open now.
  • Plantain-leaf Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia) – Peak in the area along the horse trail above the falls.
  • Cumberland Spurge (Euphorbia mercurialina) – Many
  • Bishop’s Cap (Mitella diphylla) – The patch along the trail to the falls are in full glory.
  • Trailing Trillium (Trillium decumbens) – Plentiful, but many more still yet to open.
  • Redbud (Cercis canadensis) – Peak.
  • Purple Phacelia (Phacelia bipinnatifida) – Quite a few blooming, especially along the horse trail and falls trail.
  • Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) – Several plants are blooming now.
  • Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) – Several are blooming along the horse trail (Pocket Loop Trail.)
  • Wild Blue Phlox  (Phlox divaricata) – Several blooming along the horse trail.
  • Early Meadow Rue (Thalictrum dioicum) – This is the first I’ve seen this plant at The Pocket.

Robin’s Plantain – Erigeron pulchellus

• Notable coming soon:
  • Violet Wood Sorrel (Oxalis violacea) – Several of these beautiful plants with petals just about to unfurl along the horse trail.
  • Roundleaf Ragwort (Packera obovata) – A number of plants with red buds forming; one had yellow petals starting to unfurl.
  • Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) – Flowers showing their white teeth, but they can do this for a long time before opening.
  • Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – Several plants budding.
  • Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) – Soon, very soon.
  • Bent White Trillium (Trillium flexipes) – Many plants unfurling, and many with flower buds on their pedicels.