This is growing in the woods behind our house. Like so many things this spring, I’ve never noticed it blooming before, but it’s quite lovely. Barberry family. Origin: Europe. Compare to earlier post on Japanese Barberry — this one is evidently not a bad marauding invader. Just an invader.
Common Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)
A pretty little edible plant with leaves like shamrocks. “All parts are edible, with a distinct tangy flavor.” The green pods have a tartness similar to rhubarb, and the leaves can be brewed to make a drink like lemonade. Contains vitamin C. Can be added to salads for color and flavor. Native to North America.
Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta)
There are a lot of little yellow flowers out there! They’re all different! This is low-growing, kind of like a wild strawberry plant. It has 5 leaves — that’s what cinquefoil means– and 5 petals on the blossom. The Rose family.
Dwarf Cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex)
This is from the Ranunculacea family, which means “little frog.” (Meaning they like wetlands.) Introduced from Europe.
Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Bonus picture: I went to Volante Farms today, and after all this searching for tiny hidden flowers, the bounty of giant blossoms seemed almost fake…
I was excited to notice these beautiful little yellow flowers hiding on this thorny bush. Now I find out it’s another destructive invasive. It can form thick brambles that crowd out everything else. Red berries in winter. Origin: Japan. (Thanks to Alert Flowerophile Irit for wrangling Lucy while I took pictures.)
Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
These came as hitchhikers with my violets and beauty berry. They’re wood poppies. The sap is a yellow latex that stains! They are wild and native to eastern and midwest North America.
Wood Poppy, Celandine Popppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
Well, sorry to say the only new wildflower we found today was the lowly dandelion. I know people eat the leaves and use them for making wine but still. Maybe if they were blue I could get excited.
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
This is the first wildflower we’ve seen at Centennial this spring. Thanks to Alert Flowerophile Donna for spotting it! I originally thought this was Marsh Marigold, but it’s not.
Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)
