The very earliest blooms are miniscule and usually borne on creeping stems or plants that wind their way through lawns and roadside gravel. Most of us completely ignore these little plants and tiny flowers because they are so small.
Chickweed growing among the gravel on the side of the lane.
Common chickweed (Stellaria media) is found throughout our area – the Northeastern United States and particularly Pennsylvania – and can be found blooming for much of the growing season.
Chickweeds have tiny flowers that are so deeply cut it appears that the blossom has ten petals, when in fact it has five. The little white flowers look like they have pairs of long white petals.
The sepals are longer than the petals in common chickweed and have a fuzzy appearance.
Long, green sepals and an apparent 10 white petals of common chickweed.
This particular chickweed is distinguished from other chickweeds by its long leaf stalks, or petioles.
Long-stemmed leaves are an identifying characteristic of Common Chickweed.
As you take a stroll around your neighborhood, look down! You might find a few of these weeds already blooming.