Saturday afternoon I took a walk around my woods to look for (and photograph) wildflowers. I found some.
I was looking specifically for some wild oats (Uvularia sessilifolia), so I went to the places where I have found it in previous years. Yup. Found some in bloom.
Wild oats (Uvularia sessilifolia)
This is another one I went looking specifically for.
Pink lady Slipper (Cypripedium acuale)
This is not the same one I posted last week. I looked for that one too, but couldn’t find any sign of it. I have no idea what happened to it, but I guess that’s the way nature goes sometimes.
When I go out looking for blossoms, I look everywhere for surprises too. This was one of those:
Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
This will become a Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) flower. I don’t know that I’ve ever caught one in this stage before. I have dug up the roots of this plant and brewed it into a tea. I don’t think it was worth the effort though, so it’s not something I am likely to repeat.
This is one I was looking for. I saw a few when we went camping last week, and they do grow on my property too. So I looked in the usual places and found a few. I suspect I will find even more this week. I was fairly pleased with this photo, so bonus!
Goldthread (Coptis trifolia)
Here’s another three-leaf plant (trifolius) but with a different Latin conjugation. If I knew Latin, I would probably understand the difference between trifolia and trifolius.
Dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius)
I posted an image of one of these last week too, but liked this one enough to repeat it. I do that sometimes.
Here’s another repeat. I set out to get a really nice photo of this one, and it turned out OK – not stunning, but OK. I suppose the light was a bit too harsh. It was mid-afternoon when I took the shot, and this one wasn’t in as shady an area as most of the others.
Gaywings (Polygala paucifolia)
Right after shooting the gaywings, this fly alighted on my thumb. I haven’t tried to identify it yet, but I did think the photo came out pretty well. Better than the gaywings anyhow (even if it’s not as nice a subject).
Unidentified fly
The wild strawberries are still going gang busters.
Wild strawberry (Fragaria spp)
It’s another repeat, but I think it’s worth repeating.
I still don’t have any bluets on my place, but I have seen vast swaths of them in fields from the car this week (and last). I might have to stop and get some photos soon. I’ve also been looking for wood anemones and hobblebush from the car, but no luck so far. I have yet to see a trillium this year either, and I know those are almost finished now. Maybe I’ll find some in Maine this weekend. I know I will be looking for them anyhow!
Jomegat's Weblog 
April 30, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Love the photos and the one of the fly turned out very well. I wish I could identify even half the plants and flowers that you do. I just know I like the way they look. 😀
April 30, 2012 at 9:39 pm
I know a lot of plants because I made an effort to learn what they were. It’s the culmination of four or five years of always looking for new plants to id, and even now, I still find new-to-me plants.
April 30, 2012 at 9:41 pm
I should get one of those plant identification books or charts and make an effort to familiarize myself with flowers and trees better than I do. Guess there’s no time like the present.
April 30, 2012 at 10:03 pm
My favorite is New England Wildflowers by Frank Kaczmarek – but that’s probably not much good in Oklahoma/Arkansas. Another good one is Peterson’s Wildflowers, but that one is also regional. There’s almost certainly one that applies to your area.
April 30, 2012 at 10:36 pm
Oh my gosh- beautiful! I’m not sure whether to comment on the flowers or the photography. Great on both subjects! That’s amazing how many flowers you found on your own property. Thanks for sharing!
April 30, 2012 at 11:03 pm
You’re welcome Marge! I think the flowers are way better than the photography, but I’m glad the photography allows me to share.
May 1, 2012 at 12:16 am
I enjoy seeing the flowers in your area. From this group the only one that we have here is the strawberry. Nice, clear photos.
May 1, 2012 at 7:17 am
Thanks Terry. I always enjoy your wildflowers too.
May 1, 2012 at 1:09 am
Excellent post and photos! Eventually I am going to learn these flowers if you keep posting like this, it will have to sink in.
May 1, 2012 at 7:19 am
Then I will stop apologizing for repetition! I love the way you document the birds around your ponds. You always have a great story.
May 1, 2012 at 9:23 am
Great shots! I can’t believe the lady’s slippers are that far along up there-nowhere near that here. I still haven’t found any gaywings and haven’t seen dwarf ginseng or wild sarsaparilla either. I did find a hobblebush blooming, so you should see them soon. White trillium blooms just after the red so there is still hope for those, though I haven’t seen any yet. It’s interesting to see what’s blooming north of here.
May 1, 2012 at 9:28 am
Thanks. I’d bet that lady slipper is open now. It has been three days since I took that picture.
The only place I’ve ever seen dwarf ginseng is in that little patch of my woods. And with the shade gone, I don’t know if I’ll see them again after this spring. I should look for it around Sandogardy pond and in the town forest.
Wild sarsaparilla is abundant up here though. It looks for all the world like poison ivy when it emerges. When we first moved here, I was alarmed by how much “PI” came up in the woods. Turns out it wasn’t PI at all.