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| Snow trillium. |
Spring is here, and spring feels like hope.
We are not people who welcome lots of time at home. So the circumstances of the disease prevention measures under which we are living are bringing unwelcome confinement. Still, we are very, very lucky that no one we know is yet sick. And while most every local business and public space is closed, we are not yet being asked to limit travel to essentials like doctor visits, grocery shopping, etc. We are free to get out and get some fresh air, and our public parks are so far open.
The time to go to
Cedar Creek Park in Belle Vernon is now. Some of spring's very first flowers, tiny snow trilliums and elegant hepaticas are in full bloom. To see them, park near the Boat Launch and take the Cedar Creek Gorge Interpretive Trail loop. I highly recommend taking the trail in a clockwise direction, which will start with a steep climb. When we went yesterday, we found it very slippery and muddy. A walking stick or hiking pole is a big help here. It's far easier to travel this steep path going uphill, facing the slope, rather than descending with your back to the slope. Also beginning with a steep ascent means that the rest of your hike is a pleasant gradual descent, followed by a stroll along the creek.
Snow trilliums are diminutive but lovely. Trilliums everywhere are a favored snack of deer, but snow trilliums sometimes escape because they prefer steep slopes that deer dislike. They are true spring ephemerals, and their leaves and blooms will disappear very quickly until next year. At this beautiful spot, they cascade down the entire ridge.
Hepaticas are the other wildflower to be found there now. They are an evergreen plant. Last year's leaves, which gathered sunlight throughout the winter, are dying now as the delicate blossoms emerge. They will soon be replaced by a new growth of distinctly shaped leaves. Hepaticas can bloom in shades of blue, but at Cedar Creek Park they are all white. Their blooms last somewhat longer than snow trilliums.
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| Hepatica |
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| Hepatica |
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| Snow trillium. |
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| The creek is very blue in one particular spot. |
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| Hepatica. |
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| Last year's hepatica leaves. |
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| Hepatica |
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| Hepatica |
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| Snow trillium. |
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| Hepatica blooms with last year's leaves. |
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| Snow trillium. |
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| Snow trillium. |
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