The little leaves for these just stand vertically right out of the ground and have been up for quite a while. Now at last they’re blooming. (I notice it’s also called Two-leaved Solomonseal — another Solomonseal to confuse us.)
Canada Mayflower ((Maianthemum canadense)
I originally posted this picture April 27, but I just now identified it. Quite tiny. Plantain family.
Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)
Also called Mandrake. The leaves are like little umbrellas hiding the flowers. Fruit is a yellow berry — the pulp is edible when ripe. Name refers to the May blooming and the flower resembling an apple blossom. These plants are in Alert Flowerophile Donna’s garden. Barberry family.
May-apple, Mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum)
More from Noanet today, something I don’t remember ever seeing before. This is not the ginseng used in herbal medicine but it’s the same family (Ginseng). Native. The flowers are white and turn pale pink with age. Has yellowish clustered berries in July to August. US Forest Service: Native Americans “used tea of the whole plant for colic, indigestion, gout, hepatitis, shortness of breath, fainting, and nervous debility. Its distinctive tubers can be eaten raw or boiled.”
Today was a red-letter day for wildflowers. I saw so many at Noanet today and I think I would miss them by half without this extra focus. I don’t remember ever seeing this kind before: Starflower. Evidently they usually have 7 petals, but can have 5 to 9. Primrose family.
Starflower (Trientalis borealis)
At Centennial, I saw only one single bloom of this, but down the street by Walker Pond, there is quite a colony. They’re beautiful — the color so subtle. Cannot find why they are called Quaker Ladies!
Bluets, Quaker Ladies (Houstonia caerulea)
These seem like domestic wanderers, but evidently they count as wild. I finally found a group of them whose blooms were open. Look how the petals curl back. Fragrant! Lily family.
Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
