I’ve been out of town a couple of times since my last report – over 2 weeks since then – so I didn’t know what I’d find at The Pocket when I headed down there today. But it was plenty, and well worth the trip. I counted 41 species blooming. While Purple Phacelia may be the most prolific bloomer right now, the highlight for me was the beautiful, near-peak of the Wild Hyacinth. (Click here for all Pocket status reports.)

Wild Hyacinth – Camassia scilloides

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.):

• Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) – a very few Cutleaf are still around
• Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) – Getting somewhat scarce.
• Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) – Only a few still blooming; most forming their fruit.
• Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) Occasional.
• Long-spurred Violet (Viola rostrata) – Still plentiful along the “horse trail.”
• Canada Violet (Viola canadensis) – Plentiful.
• Smooth Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens) – A few around.
• Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) – Only saw a couple.
• Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) – Almost gone.

Eastern Red Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis

• Wood Poppy, aka Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) – Still quite a few.
• Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) – Quite a few still blooming; in decline.
• Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) – Plentiful.
• Plantain-leaf Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia) – Mostly gone to seed.
• Cumberland Spurge (Euphorbia mercurialina) – A few left
• Bishop’s Cap (Mitella diphylla) – Still going.
• Trailing Trillium (Trillium decumbens) – Plentiful, but harder to find in the undergrowth.
• Purple Phacelia (Phacelia bipinnatifida) – Everywhere; most prolific bloomer now.
• Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) – May be peak right now
• Wild Blue Phlox  (Phlox divaricata) –  Plentiful
• Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – Many plants blooming.
• Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) – Perhaps peak.
• Bent White Trillium (Trillium flexipes) – I think just past peak

Heartleaf Foamflower – Tiarella cordifolia

• Violet Wood Sorrel (Oxalis violacea) – Several of these beautiful plants are blooming.
• Roundleaf Ragwort (Packera obovata) – A number of plants blooming.
• Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata) – Many.
• White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) – Peak, or just past; a couple starting to form berries.
• Yellow Mandarin (Prosartes lanuginosum) – Several.
• Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis) – Along the driveway down to the boardwalk.
• False Garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve) – Many blooming once the sun gets on them fully.
• Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) – Several to be found.
• False Solmon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) – Very early in cycle.
• Wild Blue Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) – Beautiful; peak coming soon.
• Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) – Beautiful, probably peak.
• Meadow Parsnip (Thaspium sp.) – Most plants just starting to bloom; these look like Smooth Meadow Parsnip to me.
• Sweet Anise (Osmorhiza longistylis) – This may possibly be Sweet Cicely (O. claytonii) instead.
• Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) – Blooming.
• Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia) – Peak, but you’ll have to look for them.
• Yellow Stargrass (Hypoxis hirsuta) – Found one in the woods above the falls.
• Dewberry (Rubus flagellaris) – I think this is the blackberry blooming here now.
• Buttercup (Ranunculus species) – Not sure which one; the flower looks similar to Ranunculus abortivus, but based on the leaves this is likely R. recurvatus (Blisterwort / Hooked Buttercup).
• Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) – Most plants only have a single leaf, but I did find one blooming.

Mayapple – Podophyllum peltatum

• Notable coming soon:
  • Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) – Buds forming on most plants.