Braddock's Trail Park (Week 2)

Spring beauties.

Many of our wildflowers are called "spring ephemerals" for a reason. They come and go in the blink of an eye. If you look for them in the same place less often than once a week, you are sure to miss the peak bloom of some wildflowers and miss others entirely. I returned to Braddock's Trail Park yesterday to see what was blooming this week and to explore more of the trails.

This week I found spring beauties carpeting the forest floor. Spring beauties are very common and aren't particularly impressive unless 1) you look at them closely- their tiny pink anthers and thin pink petal stripes are striking; or 2) there are thousands and thousands of them everywhere you look. Lots of other flowers were emerging, some beginning to bloom and some just beginning to bud. Next week the forest should look quite different. 

Braddock's Trail Park is very social distancing friendly, in my opinion. The ratio of parking spaces to acreage is just about guaranteed to give everyone plenty of room. And it's an ideal place to visit right now for some fresh air.

Bloodroot. These wildflowers have an especially short bloom time.

Cutleaf toothwort.

Wake robin.

Cutleaf toothwort.

Rue anemone.

Rue anemone.

Mayflower sprout.

The top of a Mayflower umbrella.

I wasn't sure what this was, but I think it's a trillium.

Dutchman's breeches have nectar deep inside the oddly shaped flower. Queen bumblebees have tongues that are just long enough to reach. They are the only bumblebees to overwinter, and in the spring they need to start a new colony. They mate in the summer but wait until spring to lay eggs. They need to gather lots of pollen and nectar to help them begin the next generation. 

Mayapple. This one has two umbrella shaped leaves on one stalk, which means it will be flowering. 

Violets.

Trout lily leaves are sprouting but the plants are not yet budding.

Persian speedwell.

The foundations of an old building beside the trail.

Cutleaf toothwort.

Spring beauty.

Blue-eyed Mary.  There were only a few blooming this week. Soon there should be carpets of blue blooms.

Wake robin.

Chickweed.

Dutchman's breeches.

Chickweed.

White violet.

Cutleaf toothwort.

Rue anemone.

Rue anemone.

Trilliums emerging.

Bloodroot.

Waterleaf. They are named for the spots on their leaves that resemble drops of water. These spots fade before the waterleaf flowers.

Dutchman's breeches.

Chickweed.

Bloodroot. The flower buds emerge wrapped in their leaves, which unfold slowly as the flower blooms