Forest Wakening

I can forget that a lot of what I do is work. I rarely consider all the hiking around this mountain is a real hike. So I can be slightly bewildered when I run out of energy and pass out at 9pm. Waking refreshed in the morning, I get back to my list of things to do.

The forest floor is waking after a long nap. Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis is now blooming.



The lacy Dicentra canadensis, Squirrel Corn, covers huge swaths of ground beneath the trees.



Cutleaf Toothwort, Cardamine concatenata is another spring ephemeral that covers lots of ground. All of these plants are very petite. You have to get close for a good look.



The trilliums are arriving. It will be a couple of weeks before they bloom. Even this natural display seems slightly off kilter from the norm. The violets which are generally the first to appear are still in hiding or maybe they are taking the year off.



Carex plantaginea, Plantain-Leaved sedge has a pretty good bloom for a sedge. This plant is also gaining favor in the landscape trade as a groundcover. I'd call it semi-evergreen. It holds its leaves pretty well through the winter, depending. It does prefer some shade though. It is on my list to gather some up and plant them in a group for a good showing.



The hills are alive with the budding and blooming trees. The maples come in shades of red, orange and yellow. The first white bloomers, most likely Serviceberry, Amelanchier arborea can be spotted on the hillsides while driving through. Cornus mas, Cornelian Cherry Dogwood also lights up the understory with masses of tiny yellow flowers.



And of course there are the daffodils.