Flower walking

Saturday morning was sunny and warm, and we had a chance to walk around a bit before the bad weather set in.


In places, the ground was a carpet of toothwort.
(Cardamine spp.)


Mayapples were sprouting up everywhere. Soon the woods will be full of their little umbrellas.
(Podophyllum peltatum)


Deciduous wild ginger made its first appearance of the spring. The flower part isn't open yet.
(Asarum canadense)


Trillium cuneatum was popping open too, so thick in some areas that you could actually smell them. The scent is meant to attract flies as pollinators, so it's not exactly pleasant. For me, latin names are best for most trilliums, since their common names seem to be used so interchangeably (wake robin, sweet betsy, toadshade, etc.).


Wild Blue Phlox is just starting to appear.
(Phlox divaricata)


A small first year mullein plant. The story goes that if you use this for uh, wiping things in the woods, you'll regret it... It looks soft but has irritating hairs. It's an introduced plant, classified as a noxious weed, that has been in the US since the 1700s. I've read that a single plant can produce over 100,000 seeds, which can remain viable for 100 years or more.
(Verbascum thapsus)