#spring ephemerals

[geopsych]

!!! The bloodroots are up! Now we need a sunny day so the flowers open.

[conretewings]

Some lovely early spring blooms and plants I've found in recent days! Spring beauty (I think), grape hyacinth, trout lily and I believe cherry. Taken for myself but also for @geopsych scavenger hunt ❤️

[rebeccathenaturalist]

It's amazing where native plants will pop up! This Menzies' baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii) popped up a few blocks from my apartment in Kerns on the side of the road. I don't know if someone did some guerilla planting or what, but it was a really nice surprise.

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Trout Lilies - Erythronium americanum Periwinkle - Vinca minor

[himekokosu]

 Erythronium japonicum

[aisling-saoirse]

Dutchman's breeches on the forest floor, New Hope, Pennsylvania - April 5th 2025

[faguscarolinensis]

Trillium stamineum / Twisted Trillium at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[quinnfrankephotography]

Some scenes from my walk this morning. Lots of wildlife. Beautiful morning.

[microcosmicobservations]

False rue anemone (Enemion biternatum) under a mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) patch.

May 2025

[forestfeeling]

The wetland is really coming alive!!!!

[geopsych]

Spring beauties, Claytonia virginica.

[oliviarosaline]

Sharp-lobed Hepatica

Hepatica acutiloba

These gorgeous spring ephemerals are usually found in woods with rich, somewhat alkaline, well drained-soils across eastern North America. Their flowers can vary in color and petal count. The hepatica plants pictured were growing on wooded hillsides featuring dolomite rock outcrops.

March 30th, 2023

St. Francois County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Slender single stem? Check. Three mottled green oval-shaped leaves with pointed ends? Check. Flower parts in threes, including maroon petals? Check. Popping up in early spring in the Missouri Ozarks? Check. All these clues point to this being a member of the genus Trillium--and it is! Specifically toadshade (Trillium sessile), a spring ephemeral wildflower commonly found throughout the Ozarks, the Ohio River Valley, and the central Appalachians. (Technically the stem is a scape, and the leaves are bracts, but you'd be forgiven for just calling it like you see it when casually observing this species.)

If you want to learn more about what traits to look for when observing a new-to-you animal, plant, or fungus, and then using those traits to identify your mystery species, my forthcoming book, The Everyday Naturalist: How to Identify Animals, Plants, and Fungi Wherever You Go (Ten Speed Press, June 2025) walks you through my identification process that I've developed over the past two decades. No experience required, and it's not specific to any region but can be used anywhere! Ask your local bookstore about it, or you can preorder a signed copy from me at TheEverydayNaturalist.com

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Bloodroot is on its way!

[himekokosu]

Adonis ramosa

[aisling-saoirse]

Spring Ephemerals, New Hope, Pennsylvania - April 5th 2025

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), Swamp Marigold (Caltha palustris), Toadshade Trillium (Trillium sessile)