It was a cloudy and dreary day today, following a lot of rain yesterday and last night, but Cindy and I made a quick run down to The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain again today to keep from being cooped up in the house another day.  We were glad we did – the yellow and blue are out – Bluebells and Wood Poppies are blooming!

Virginia Bluebells – Mertensia virginica

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 are blooming profusely, nearing peak, as shown above.
• Wood Poppies are blooming, although the numbers aren’t like they were before the landslide a couple of years back.

Wood Poppy, Celandine Poppy – Stylophorum diphyllum

• Heartleaf Foamflower are beginning to bloom.

Heartleaf Foamflower, False Miterwort – Tiarella cordifolia

•  Blue Cohosh are starting to bloom.  While most plants still only have buds, there were a number with open blossoms.
• A few Hepatica are still hanging in there, but they are no longer the predominant white flower.
• Rue Anemone are replacing those missing Hepatica.

Rue Anemone – Thalictrum thalictroides

• Cutleaf Toothwort are still around, but declining.
• Carolina Spring Beauties are blooming quite profusely, although they were mostly closed today due to the overcast.
• Star Chickweed are profuse.
• Violets are coming into their own, including Canada Violets,  Viola sororia, Viola rostrata, Viola bicolor, and Viola pubescens.
• The Trailing Trillium are everywhere, many blooming.

Trailing Trillium – Trillium decumbens

• There are many Toadshade Trilliums starting form their flower buds.
• Many Bent White Trilliums with flower buds, many already bent over, and one almost completely opened.
• Bloodroot are gone!  I did not see a single one blooming.
• Spicebush blooms are almost gone.
• There were a many Bellwort blooming.
• A couple of Phacelia are blooming along the trail to the falls. Probably more 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 – we didn’t check the horse trail this week.
• I was surprised that there were fewer Trout Lilies this week than last.
• We spotted a Cumberland Spurge along the horse trail last week; did not get up there this week.
• Last week near the bottom of the horsetrail was a Virginia Pennywort – Obolaria virginica.  It is probably still blooming.

Oh, and did I mention that it had been raining for a couple of days?  Check out the waterfalls:

Waterfalls in The Pocket