What a great morning for a walk! I grabbed the camera and headed out in search of the early June flowers, specifically pink lady's slippers. Lots of plants are blooming, from trees and shrubs to flowers and saprophytes. So, here is a summary, with select photos from the walk.
Still blooming, although some just barely: witch hobble (I found some still in bloom on the Peninsula Trail, but mostly they are finished); purple trillium (a surprise); painted trillium (many are fading).
Budding, but not blooming: Canada mayflower (I'm always amazed at how long it takes for this one to actually open its flowers); wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis); yellow clintonia/bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis); false Solomon's seal/wild spikenard (Smilacina racemosa).
And the stars of the day - the flowers with flowers:
A foursome of Pink Lady's Slippers or Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule); Early Coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida) - the saprophytic plant (cannot make its own food- gets nourishment from dead or decaying matter); and Foamflower/Miterwort (Tiarella cordifolia) - varieties of this native wildflower can be found in nurseries and garden centers.
Starflower (Trientalis borealis); Goldthread (Coptis groenlandica); and Bluets/Quaker Ladies/Innocence (Houstonia caerulea)
Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum); Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisamea atrorubens); and
Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) - sorry, no picture.
Assorted birds were also making their presence known: red-eyed vireo, black-throated green warbler, black-throated blue warbler, robins, black-capped chickadee, hairy woodpecker.
My two favorite finds of the walk were a tiny tiny red eft and the flowers on the striped maple. The latter reminded me of the beautiful decorations Japanese women used to wear in their hair. As a matter of fact, I was so struck by these flowers, that I've decided they are the plant of the month!
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