What's Bloomin' at the VIC

Snow or no snow, the flowers bloom on here at the VIC.

I haven't been able to get out on the trails since blooming began, but today I grabbed a couple quick shots of plants flowering around the main building - a sampler, as it were, of what awaits you out on the trails.

First, we have American Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis). It's pale yellow flowers dangle like little silver bells beneath the shelter of its oval leaves. Eventually these flowers will turn into red fruits, which look (to me at least) like a very small, glossy red mustache.


The red, or purple, trillium (Trillium erectum) is flowering all over the place. Some plants are just starting to bud, while others have already passed their prime. Soon the painted trilliums will also grace our woods.



And sessile-leaved bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia), aka wild oats, are just starting to put forth their flowers. This flower gets its somewhat odd name from the fact that its leaves clasp the stem. In New York, the other species of bellworts have stems that actually "pierce" the leaves - or so it appears. Like the honeysuckle above, this flower sports pale yellow flowers, which can make it difficult to spot if the sun is dappling the forest floor.

Visitors have also reported trout lily, spring beauty, northern blue and northern white violets along the trails. I hope to get out soon and see for myself which of my botanical friends have put in an appearance so far this spring.

Meanwhile, out the other end of town, the shadbush (Amalanchier sp.) and wild strawberries are just starting to bloom. Spring is creeping up on us (after an earlier headlong rush).