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
Native Plant of the Day 05/18/2015
Photo from June 6, 2009. Location: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA.
Wild Bergamot – for more photos / info go to the Monarda fistulosa detail page.
Wild Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa
Native Plant of the Day 04/29/2015
Photo from May 4, 2009. Location: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA.
Maple Leaved Viburnum – for more photos / info go to the Viburnum acerifolium detail page.
Maple Leaved Viburnum – Viburnum acerifolium
While some of the early bloomers are gone – no more Dutchman’s Breeches, for example – this is STILL a great time for a visit to The Pocket. My growing wildflower checklist for The Pocket is up to 59 species now, and 41 of them are blooming now, even though a few of those are almost gone. If you want to see Bluebells, better hurry; they are declining fast. The Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) are gone, and I only saw one small patch of Carolina Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana). All three Trillium species are still in full glory, but probably the dominant species blooming right now are Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata), and Purple Phacelia (Phacelia bipinnatifida), which you’ll see all along the Pocket Road on your way in to the parking area.
Eastern Columbine and Purple Phacelia
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This is a great time for a visit to The Pocket; I hadn’t been able to get down there in nearly 3 weeks (apologies to those that were looking for a status report last week) and so many species are blooming now! Bluebells, Wood Poppies (Celandine), Purple Phacelia, and all three Trillium species are at peak, along with a couple of others that aren’t considered “signature species” for The Pocket.
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Today (3/16) was beautiful – clear skies and about 70 degrees by noon. The weather had been pretty warm for several days, with a lot of rain showers over those several days, so I was hopeful that things would have picked up a bit from my last report on 3/7. And had it! Of the 53 species on my current version of my wildflower checklist for The Pocket, we (my wife, a lovely homeschool group we met up with, and I) found 13 blooming right now.
Bloodroot – Sanguinaria canadensis
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Native Plant of the Day 03/16/2015
Photo from Mar 16, 2013. Location: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, Ga.
Walking Fern – for more photos / info go to the Asplenium rhizophyllum detail page.
Walking Fern – Asplenium rhizophyllum
Even though it’s been 2 ½ weeks since the last report, there is little change to report from then. Probably shouldn’t be a surprise considering the last couple of weeks have included long stretches where it didn’t get above freezing, multiple nights with lows in the single digits, and a snow of over 7”. Still, I was hoping for a little more action.
Today (2/11) was sunny and unseasonally warm (62 degrees by late afternoon) for February, but much colder weather is forecast – tomorrow topping out in the 30s. Since we’ve been out of town for several days, I figured I should take this opportunity to check to see if the wildflowers are starting to show up at The Pocket. I was expecting to see Harbinger-of-Spring and that other harbinger of spring, Hepatica blooming, and kind of expected to see some Toothwort blooming. Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.
Harbinger-of-Spring – Erigenia bulbosa
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Native Plant of the Day 07/03/2013
Photo from June 9, 2009. Location: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA.
Wild Hydrangea – for more photos / info go to the Hydrangea arborescens detail page.
Wild Hydrangea – Hydrangea arborescens