Early Spring Wildflowers

Bloodroot Blossom

One of the earliest wildflowers to bloom around our cabin is the delicate bloodroot. The showy white flower heads stand out in contrast to the dusky leaf cover on the ground. It's always a welcome sight to see these pretty spring flowers, but they don't last for long. Within days, they shed their snowy white petals.

Growing up, I was very fortunate to have woods to enjoy and explore right behind our home. I spent countless hours wandering the trails and taking in nature's beauty and surprises. Springtime brought so much new life and color. Tiny pink and white spring beauties and violets in purple, yellow and white sprinkled the forest floor with bright spots of color. One of my favorite and elusive wildflowers to see, and, like the bloodroot, one that didn't last for long, was the trout lily, so named because its spotted, waxy leaves look like a trout's speckled skin. The flowers of the trout lily in our woods were yellow, but they can also be white. Each plant has one bell shaped blossom.

As the days grow longer and the temps get warmer, more and more wildflowers will beautify the woods, but the early bloomers always are a cheery beginning to a most lovely time of year.