We made a quick trip down to The Pocket on Tuesday evening. We made a short 100-yard walk up the horse trail and took a spin around the boardwalk, so I’m unable to update the status of flowers found along the trail to the falls, but here’s what I’ve got.
Here’s a list of the wildflower status:
- Baneberry: The white baneberry is starting to bloom.
- Bellwort: Bellwort is at peak bloom.
- Bent Trillium: This is probably at or near peak for Trillium flexipes.
- Bloodroot: I only saw a single blossom remaining.
- Blue cohosh: Blooming profusely. I called it “peak” 5 days ago, but they are even more abundant now.
- Chickweed: Stellaria pubera still blooming profusely, but seemingly in decline.
- Columbine: I didn’t make it to where the Columbine bloom, but they should be good right now, since they were just beginning to bloom 5 days ago.
- Dutchman’s breeches: They’re gone! I did not spot a single one still blooming.
- False Solomon’s Seal: The buds are forming and they’ll be open soon.
- Foamflower: Peak of the foamflower season, I think.
- Hepatica: I think I saw only a single hepatica blossom along the boardwalk.
- Hyacinth: The wild hyacinth have formed their buds, and will start blooming soon.
- Jack in the Pulpit: Several are open along the boardwalk. Several in their opening stage, which makes for an interesting plant.
- Mandarin: Yellow mandarin (Fairybells) are blooming.
- Miterwort (Bishop’s cap): I did not make it to their location along the trail to the falls, but they were just beginning 5 days ago, so should be about peak now.
- Pennywort: I didn’t make it up the horse trail to where I spotted them 5 days ago, but they should still be blooming.
- Phlox: I was surprised that I didn’t find any along the boardwalk, but they are beginning to bloom along the horse trail.
- Purple phacelia: I didn’t make it up the horse trail to where I spotted the single plant blooming 5 days ago, but they should common up around the falls now. I didn’t see any along the boardwalk.
- Pussytoes: Blooming along the horse trail.
- Redbud: The redbud trees are beautful right now.
- Rue anemone: Continue to be numerous.
- Solomon’s Seal: They are opening and tiny buds are hanging below many of the stems.
- Spring Beauty: Still many of them around.
- Toadshade: Trillium cuneatum are starting to bloom.
- Toothworts: Very few blossoms remain.
- Trailing trillium: Quite abundant – probably at peak.
- Trout lily: Gone! There were a few shriveled blossoms lying on the leaves, but I didn’t spot a single blooming Trout Lily.
- Virginia bluebell: Numerous; at peak. Beautiful!
- Wild geranium: Just beginning to bloom along the boardwalk.
- Wood (celandine) poppy: Numerous, at or just past peak. Beautiful!
- Violets:
- Canada violets: Everywhere.
- Common blue violet: Common in quantity, but uncommonly beautiful.
- Yellow violet: Hundreds of them; probably both Viola rotundifolia and V. pennsylvanica.
- Long-spurred violets: Quite numerous everywhere. The clusters of these were quite striking.