Early Spring Flowers at Bent Tree

March 30, 2007

The yellow violets are one of the first species to bloom in the spring, coming right out of the leaf litter and sheltering under rocks. These were mostly close to the Bent Tree house and along the steep driveway - I didn't see many in the open woods.

The Rue Anemone was by far the most abundant of the blooming flowers on this date, with thousands of them scattered over the forest floor. There were large areas in the woods where there wouldn't be a gap of more than six inches between rue anemone blooms.

This is one example of the rue anemones covering an area like ground cover.

The rue anemone uses its long slender stalk to snake out of the leaf litter to find its place in the sun. The yellow violet uses a rather different strategy, positioning itself beside rocks and logs where it can make use of a slight overhang or the action of wind, etc., to clear a spot for it.

The top view of the rue anemone at right shows it opening its petals to the sky.

To get more blooms the rue anemone creates these triple forms shown above. And it even has a quad form shown at left.

Delicate, yet tenacious, life emerges when all else is yet dry and dormant around it.

This white flower was about the only companion to the rue anemone and the violet on the forest floor. It came right up through the leaf litter like the rue.

This plant seemed to like tree trunks and fallen logs, and f its right in with the lichens.

The flowers weren't the only life to emerge on this pleasant late March day. This young wolf spider is trying his legs on a leaf skeleton.

Simple elegance and and ode to the vitality of new spring life. This darker violet was found beside the road below the house.

Among the deeply colored violets was an occasional light blue violet.

And I've seen more of these pleasant bright yellow violets at Bent Tree than anywhere else.

I told myself that I already had enough rue anemones in this set. But somehow they speak to me with their gentleness. And they are anxious for spring, popping up at the first promise of warmth and light.

One of my hopes on this trip to Bent Tree was to see the bloodroot flowers since I haven't seen them in several years. That was not to be -- just a little too early -- but one of the last things I saw in the woods was this luxuriant bloodroot leaf among the rue anemones. Maybe next trip will be just right.

The sourwood was in bloom, and this young doe was having a good time in the new green foliage.