We’ve had quite a lot of blooms on the mayapple plants this year. Maybe last year when I could only see one I just wasn’t looking early enough or carefully enough.
Plants
Greening Up
After exceeding 90 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, the rest of the week saw a dramatic greening up. Even “up north” near Gettysburg, I saw a big change, having taken pictures both Wednesday and Saturday of the ridge to the west of the Shamrock Restaurant at Thurmont, Maryland.
Wednesday 10 April:
Saturday 13 April:
Winter’s last gasp?
About an inch of snow overnight, followed by a day of light drizzle mixed with snow.
Lonesome Pine
We have a number of Virginia Pines seemingly being crowded out by the predominantly oak competition.
Hurricane Sandy
Sandy and I survived Sandy. Lost power from about 9pm to 6am, slept in the basement for fear of the house being blown away (or bashed by the nearest oak tree). Outside things are quite wet and a little battered . . .
. . . but doggone, I need to get out with the chain saw to fix the back fence before the next time the dogs need to go out.
Hurricane Sandy weather statistics from near Heflin Road, a couple of miles from our house:
Mayapple
We have many mayapple plants now, but this is the only one we’ve seen with a flower so far. It’s on the path by our back fence, close to where I remember seeing a flower and subsequently a fruit photographed last year. Reference: Wikipedia
Our fringe tree is in bloom
This is Chionanthus virginicus, our only one, wild, in the woods, and at the back of Sandy’s woodland garden. I last commented on it back in 2008, and wasn’t able then to do any better showing the whole tree.
See the Wikipedia reference, where I’m delighted to see it’s also known as Old Man’s Beard. Ours blooms every spring, but we’ve never noticed the autumn fruit shown on Wikipedia.
Mayapple
The Mayapple plants suddenly popped up about a week ago, in patches, here and there in the woods. This is the patch near the woodpile. Will keep an eye open for any flowers.
Bluets?
Didn’t Wena call them bluets? We’ll have blankets of these soon, mostly in shady places on the lawn, but this is the first patch so far. Sometimes in the past I’ve been moved to mow around them. These are under the swing, where there’s not much grass left to mow anyway. Who knows what their real name is?
Eastern Redbud
Beyond the forsythia, in the woods, see a patch or two of purple?
There’s redbud in bloom throughout the woods near us now, and along many roadsides. It’s a favorite sign of spring, but it doesn’t last long, and I’ve been finding it camera-shy.
Wikipedia reference: Cercis canadensis