Wild About Wildflowers

The woods here are bursting forth with flowery goodness and it's during this time that I love to just walk through and get up close and personal with the tiny treasures there. We're fortunate to have woods nearby so we can easily take a short walk to them.

Right now, you can find blooms on:

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Bloodroot is aptly named, because when you cut the root, it actually looks like it's bleeding. Besides being showy and beautiful, it's an interesting plant. It is the only species in its genus, Sanguineria. Also, its sap has been used to treat many things, one of which is Plantar's Wart. I've had one going on five years now and we've tried everything short of surgery, which no doctor that I've seen recommends. Maybe I should try this?

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)


Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) - This one actually
shows up each spring in our garden.


Spring Cress (Cardamine bulbosa)


Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) - these are everywhere.


Trout Lily (Erythronium albidum) - These are everywhere, too, but just a fraction of them in each colony will bloom. Young plants only have one leaf and are flowerless. It takes seven years for a seedling to grow a second leaf and bloom.


Sessile Trillium or Toadshade (Trillium sessile)
While they're common here, I've yet to see the
Giant White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) in real life.


Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)


Vinca or Periwinkle (Vinca minor) - Visit just about any
old cemetery in this part of Ohio and you'll find enough of
this growing to supply all the area nurseries with it.
It's a great groundcover, and while it can be invasive,
it's not that hard to remove the vines.

While I love my garden hybrids and many of the new hybrids, there's something charming and satisfying about strolling through the woods and witnessing nature's awakening in the spring with the blooming of the native wildflowers.