Common Chickweed

Another very tiny one– the blossom is the size of a ladybug. Note that it has five deeply-notched petals, so it looks like ten petals. Non-native and somewhat invasive. The latin name is so much nicer:

Common Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Hairy Bittercress

The flower is so small I might have missed it if I weren’t specifically watching for what is springing up. A weedy plant of the Mustard family. The foliage is edible! This name would be good for a nasty Harry Potter character.

Since I’ve started keeping this record, I’ve learned a new word: phenology, the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events. Something people are thinking about a lot since the winter was so freakishly mild…

Hairy Bittercress, Hoary Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)