Sharp-lobed Hepatica – Native Plant of the Day 02/27/2024
Photo from 03/07/2009. Location: The Pocket, Walker County, Ga.
More photos / info at the Anemone acutiloba detail page.
Sharp-lobed Hepatica – Anemone acutiloba
My grandson Philip and I made a run down to The Pocket yesterday, Feb 8. With the warm winter I had been planning on getting down there for a couple of weeks, and then I saw Richard Ware’s reports of Hepatica and Harbinger-of-Spring blooming on Feb 4, so with the beautiful weather yesterday (high of 80 degrees!), we headed down in the early afternoon. While these flowers are blooming earlier than “normal”, I have photographed Hepatica earlier – Feb 4, 2009, and Feb 7, 2013.
Anemone acutiloba” class=”size-medium” /> Sharp-lobed Hepatica – Anemone acutiloba
Round-lobed Hepatica – Native Plant of the Day 03/12/2018
Photo from 3/15/2015. Location: Elsie Holmes Nature Park, Catoosa County, GA.
More photos /info at the Anemone americana detail page.
Round-lobed Hepatica – Anemone americana
While we had a very cold January, February warmed up, and with the next week also expected to be quite warm – temperatures in the 60s, 70s, with even a possibility of reaching 80 degrees – I would expect a lot of action by next weekend. It was reported to me that a few Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) and Harbinger of Spring (Erigenia bulbosa) were blooming a week ago; those are abundant now, and I found a few other species blooming along the Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail as well.
Hepatica – Anemone acutiloba
As expected, the Hepatica were still blooming at the Pocket – they were starting to bloom the last few days of January, but after all, it is just mid-February. Also as expected, Harbinger-of-spring was blooming. Not surprisingly, Star Chickweed was blooming, but I was surprised that with the other plants in bloom, I didn’t find Toothwort in flower (although I did find one with buds.) But there were two other surprises for me, these on the positive side.
Look what was poking up through the leaves along the boardwalk:
Bloodroot at The Pocket – on Feb 12!
My wife and I made a trip down to the Pocket on Tuesday, 1/31/2017. With the warm winter we’ve had, I was not going to be surprised to find something blooming – and it was! There were dozens of Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) blooming along the boardwalk. I expected to find Harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa) blooming as well, but none were to be found.
Here’s a photo of one of the Hepatica:
Hepatica – Anemone acutiloba – blooming at The Pocket on 1/31/2017
As reported a month back, Hepatica, Harbinger-of-Spring, and a Star Chickweed were blooming at The Pocket at the end of January as a result of our unusually warm winter. We had some cold weather in February, and nothing much had changed in mid-February. My wife and I were out of town for a couple of weeks, so when we returned yesterday, I was anxious to see what had developed in our absence. While the boardwalk itself doesn’t show too much action, there is a lot that is cranking up both on the trail to the bottom of the falls past the end of the boardwalk and on the Pocket Loop Trail (aka the horse trail) up to the top of the falls.
Bloodroot – Sanguinaria canadensis
Yes, Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is blooming along the horse trail – I haven’t see it this early in four years, implying (as expected) an early spring this year.
Round-lobed Hepatica, a native species, has been added to the USWildflowers database (02/17/2016.) Scientific name is Anemone americana. Photo below was taken at the Elsie Holmes Nature Park, Catoosa County, GA on March 15, 2015. Go to the Round-lobed Hepatica detail page for more information.
Round-lobed Hepatica- Anemone americana
As reported a couple of weeks ago, we’ve had a VERY warm winter, with Hepatica and Harbinger of Spring blooming when I visited The Pocket on January 30 – the earliest I’ve ever seen native wildflowers blooming at The Pocket. We finally had some “real winter” in the weeks since then, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited The Pocket today. That cold snap slowed things down, but there is some progress. If your “thing” is to see Harbinger of Spring at peak, or to see the waterfalls with a really good flow, this is a good time to visit The Pocket.
Harbinger-of-Spring – Erigenia bulbosa
Who would expect Hepatica to be blooming in January? Today my wife and I wanted to enjoy a beautiful day with some time outside, so we decided to go down to The Pocket for a walk on the boardwalk. The earliest I’ve seen Harbinger of Spring blooming down there previously was Feb 9 (back in 2009), but as warm as it’s been I wasn’t going to be surprised if we found that early bloomer with flowers. But I wasn’t expecting this:
Sharplobe Hepatica – Anemone acutiloba