Month: May 2006

This time of year the mint has filled an entire wall of the stone house, the returning lavender is getting ready to open its purple blooms, and the oregano has greened up nicely. The lettuce is just coming up in the garden, while the lilies are sending out their flower heads. The pink oxalis, which is a transplant from North Carolina, is blooming and so is our locally found yellow oxalis. In sunny places in the yard the sheep sorrel is blooming, too.

In the woods near trails or somewhat open areas where light is getting to the forest floor, Smooth Soloman’s Seal and False Soloman’s Seal are in bloom. Both Soloman Seals have a single arching stem with large, parallel-veined, stalkless leaves. These members of the Lily family differ in the placement and shape of their blooms.

False Soloman’s Seal volunteered next to this oak tree in the backyard.

False Soloman’s Seal is in the foreground here and the smaller Smooth Soloman’s Seal is in the background.

False Soloman’s Seal with its cluster of flowers at the end of the stem.

False Soloman’s Seal creamy white cluster of flowers.

Smooth Soloman’s Seal with its dangling blooms.

Hanging blossoms of Smooth Soloman’s Seal.

This week we’ve seen the Swallowtail Butterflies flitting about the place. They seem to like hanging around the higher tree branches.

Swallowtail butterfly resting on a sassafras leaf.

The woodland herbs are growing up and this week I spotted goldenseal, rattlesnake plantain and wild yam greenery, although it is too early now for their flowers. The pink lady slipper blossoms developed into a bright pink and now the blossoms are starting to dry up as noted by the brownish tinge at the bottom of the blossoms.

Two pink lady slippers blooming brightly.

A waning pink lady slipper as noted by the tinge of brown on the blossom.

Fuzzy pink lady slipper.

In some places the Maple-Leaved Viburnum is in bloom and in other places the blooms are just about ready to open. The flat cluster of blooms appears at the top of the stem above a pair of leaves that remind one of maple leaves for which it is named. The flowers vary from white to light pink and will develop into black berries that sometimes last through the winter. The maple-leaved viburnum seems to be a rather opportunistic plant in that it comes back rather quickly after cutting it back, probably by underground runners. The viburnum will bloom when the plant is only a foot tall or when it is four feet tall.

Maple-leaved viburnum ready to open its light pink flowers.

The Deerberry shrubs are showing their white, down-turned blossoms with protruding stamens, which may remind one of blueberries or huckleberries as the deerberry, Vaccinium stamineum, is a member of the Heath family. The small oval-shaped leaves are pale underneath.

Deerberry blossoms hanging from the leaf axils.

Deerberry blossoms with their protruding stamens.

Brambles and raspberries are blooming profusely this week everywhere in the woods and especially along the lane or opened areas in the woods. The brambles have a way of opening the lowest blossoms in the group first, followed by others on up the stem.

Brambles opening up their crinkley blossoms.

Brambles blooming in the woodlands.

The Partridgeberry is developing its twin flowers which are in bud.

Partridgeberry twin flowers are in bud now.

I’ll look forward to the partridgeberry blooms opening as their delicate scent is terrific!

It has been three years since I planted the seeds of this perennial, blue false indigo, Baptisia australis. The greenery is delightful with its three-parted leaves reminding one of sweet clover.

The spikes of purple, pea-like flowers were less than spectacular, but still showed a deep purple that attracted hummingbirds for a brief time. Perhaps someone can clue me in as to the blooming habits of Baptisia spp.?

Spikes of purple attract hummingbirds to the flowers of blue false indigo.

The first week of May heralded the arrival of Mayapple flowers. For a couple of weeks now the showy umbrella-shaped leaves have been expanding to their full size. Some are over a foot wide. The flowers are located underneath the canopy of huge green leaves.

Mayapple flower and bud at the “Y” of two leaves.

Usually the mayapple has two leaves overhanging a solitary flower that is borne from the “Y” of the two leaf stems. Here, we found a colony of mayapple containing a few plants having only one leaf over the single flower, which is contrary to what you might read in some wildflower books.

Single mayapple leaf and blossom.

Single and double leaves overhanging the solitary mayapple flower. 

Besides the mayapples there are wild geraniums in bloom along the lane and in the woods under a light canopy of deciduous trees. The ground berries or brambles are ever present now and will bloom repeatedly for a month or more. The lily-of-the-valley is still in bloom and giving off its beautiful scent. The last of the common violets has faded away this week.

Lily-of-the-valley is still blooming and giving off its sweet scent.

Bright yellow flowers in the yard are five-petaled cinquefoil.

Mayapple flowers under the canopy.

In the woods underneath an old oak tree each year I see this wild pink azalea come up in May with its straggly looking leaves. The leaves are long and slender and appear a bit crinkled when unfurling. I wonder if it will bloom more fully than the previous year, but alas all that appears are two flower heads. I have spotted more of this wild azalea in the woods but none of those plants have bloomed as of yet.

It is still really cool to see this wild pink azalea as its predecessors must have participated in bringing us such lovely shrubbery for our front yards and gardens. By the way our azaleas by the house did survive the last blasts of winter, but the leaves on each were bitten by the last frozen nights and some of the greenery will have to be pruned back. One of them does not look like it will bloom.

The Lily-of-the-Valley is blooming nicely now. A few of its stems of little white blossoms have been brought inside so that we can appreciate its wonderful aroma.

The other wild pink that I want to mention is the Pink Lady Slipper. Its blooms are out now, but I think its colors will brighten over the next few days to a deeper shade of pink.

If you are out in the woods looking for this beautiful orchid, set your sights on the two green leaves. The top of the flower might be missed if you are looking down on the lady slipper as the sepals blend in with the forest floor.

Some seasons the orchid will not bloom, yet the plant will still send up its greenery.

The Pink Lady Slipper may not bloom each and every year as evidenced by the plant on the right here.