April 24, 2020 Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)* Though most well known for its delicious tiny fruit, this plant is a true delight to find any time of year. Its small red fruits are much more flavorful than cultivated strawberries** (and in fact, cultivated strawberries were created by hybridizing this species and another from South America) and its white flowers are […]
April 14, 2020 Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) As we wander through the woods these days, we have spent a lot of time looking down, captivated by the spectacular spring ephemerals popping up on the forest floor. But our native pawpaw trees are a great reminder to look up too!Pawpaws, well-known for their tasty fall fruit, are blooming right now in our […]
April 13, 2020 Serviceberry or Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis) Serviceberry is a small tree 20 to 30 feet tall that is native to the United States from Maine to New York to Mississippi to Georgia. It is flowering now in southeastern Virginia and usually flowers before its leaves and the leaves of other trees in the forest emerge. It got its […]
April 6, 2020 Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) Virginia bluebells bloom in mid-spring, quickly going from purplish-pink buds to sky blue flowers with a sweet fragrance. There are even some variants with pink or white flowers! The flowers are pollinated by bumblebees and other long-tongued bees, as well as several types of butterflies, skippers, moths, and hummingbirds. The bloom period only […]
March 27, 2020 Round-lobed Hepatica (Anemone americana). We were pleased to find 2 hepaticas yesterday. Their unique pale purple caught our attention amidst the blanket of spring beauties (Claytonia virginica – perhaps the focus of a future post) nearby. All of these early spring flowers are a spectacular sight to see and not just for us but also for some […]