Another 10 days during the ‘peak development period’ of wildflowers at The Pocket had passed since I’d last been there, and I won’t be able to get down to The Pocket for another week due to other commitments, so in spite of the cloudy weather, I took advantage of an almost free afternoon to get an update.  It was a beautiful (if chilly) day today, so I headed down there for a more leisurely visit. A couple of surprises along with what was expected (including the Bent White Trillium) – I counted 38 species blooming.

Bent White Trillium – Trillium flexipes at The Pocket

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) – Getting pretty scarce.
• Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) – a few are still around, showing their age.
• Carolina Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana) – Still quite plentiful, but not like before.
• Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) – Lots and lots of them.
• Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) – Still plentiful.
• Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) – Plentiful.
• Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) Plentiful.
• Long-spurred Violet (Viola rostrata) – Plentiful, especially up along the “horse trail.”
• Canada Violet (Viola canadensis) – Plentiful.
• Smooth Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) – I thought there were a lot 10 days ago, but even more now.
• Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) – Many.
• Field Pansy (Viola bicolor) – Along the driveway down to the boardwalk.
• Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) – Probably close to peak.

Eastern Red Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis

• Wood Poppy, aka Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) – While 10 days ago I thought they had declined, there were more this time around.
• Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) – A few still blooming, surprisingly. This is the “normal” time, but since they started so early, and there were so few 10 days ago, I thought they’d be gone by now.
• Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) – Plentiful; probably at peak.
• Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) – Plentiful.
• Plantain-leaf Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia) – Still blooming but in decline.
• Cumberland Spurge (Euphorbia mercurialina) – Many. Can you call “peak” on this flower?
• Bishop’s Cap (Mitella diphylla) – The patch along the trail to the falls are still in full glory.
• Trailing Trillium (Trillium decumbens) – Plentiful, but many more still yet to open.
• Redbud (Cercis canadensis) – Peak.
• Purple Phacelia (Phacelia bipinnatifida) – May be peak; some plants losing their bloom, but some buds still yet to open.
• Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) – Many plants are blooming now.
• Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) – Several are blooming along the horse trail (Pocket Loop Trail.)
• Wild Blue Phlox  (Phlox divaricata) –  Plentiful
• Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – Many plants blooming; still early in their cycle.
• Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) – Quite a few blooming, more still to come.
• Bent White Trillium (Trillium flexipes) – Many plants blooming, and many with flower buds yet to come.

Violet Wood Sorrel – Oxalis violacea at The Pocket

• Violet Wood Sorrel (Oxalis violacea) – Several of these beautiful plants are blooming along the horse trail.
• Roundleaf Ragwort (Packera obovata) – A number of plants blooming.
• Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata) – Many leaves, but only a single flower.
• White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) – One well-formed inflorescence and one just starting along the boardwalk.
• Yellow Mandarin (Prosartes lanuginosum) – I saw flowers on 2 plants along the boardwalk.
• One-flowered Broomrape (Orobanche uniflora) – A small colony along the horse trail; second time I’ve seen this interesting parasitic plant at The Pocket.
• Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis) – Several short plants blooming along the driveway down to the boardwalk.
• False Garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve) – A few scattered around, just like in my yard.
• Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) – While I spotted several plants, I was surprised to find a lone pulpit with spathe.

One-flowered Broomrape – Orobanche uniflora

• Notable coming soon:
  • Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) – Buds forming on a few plants.
  • False Solmon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) – Buds forming on the big colony by the falls.
  • Wild Blue Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) – One of the plants along the boardwalk had a bud cluster forming.
  • Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) – So very close.
  • Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) – There was a bud on a plant north of the parking lot.
  • Meadow Parsnip (Thaspium sp.) – Very close