Sweet Betsy flower color morphs

The flowers of Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) are usually purple in color, but some plants have yellow or greenish flowers. Here, we see the purple and yellow flower morphs on adjacent plants. The flowers often have a faint spice-like odor, but you usually have to get your nose up close to the plant to detect it.

Bloodroot in bloom

It's hard to resist taking a photo of bloodroot, especially when they've just emerged and are so fresh-looking with gobs of golden pollen. The flowers lack nectar, so it's pollen alone that attracts (and rewards) bees and flies that function as pollinators. If the flower fails to attract a pollinator within 3-4 days, the anthers curl into the stigma brushing pollen onto its surface, thereby self-pollinating the flower, a useful backup mechanism since low temperatures and wet conditions frequently reduce insect activity in early spring .

We saw our first hummingbird this year on the first day of April. While it was visiting our feeder, another good source of sugar water (actually nectar) for it are the flowers of red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) which are currently in bloom in our yard.

Halberdleaf yellow violet

An early spring wildflower in deciduous forests of the eastern United States is halberdleaf yellow violet (Viola hastata). Look for its arrowhead-shaped leaves (the upper surfaces typically mottled with silvery blotches) clustered towards the stem tip and bright yellow flowers. When two or more species of violets occur in close proximity, it's not unusual for hybrids to form. Because hybrids have traits of both parental species, identification to species can be difficult.

Bloodroot in fruit

Already, bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is going to fruit here in the piedmont of South Carolina. Most bloodroot flowers successfully mature fruit because if cross-pollination fails to occur, the flowers can self-pollinate. Once the fruit (an elongate green capsule) matures, the ripe seeds are usually quickly carried off by ants which utilize a lipid-rich food body attached to the seed and drop the seeds unharmed, usually near their nests. So, when you see bloodroot, think too of the ants, which play a key role in dispersing the seeds of this plant.

Mocha

We lost our beloved dog Mocha this week to a sudden and serious illness (he was nearly 11). He had accompanied us on many a wildflower foray in the woods, often waiting patiently while I snapped photos of plants in bloom. He once scared off a bear coming around a trail very close to where we were perched. And, on hot summer days, he was always on the alert for a stream to get a drink and soak in. He'll be missed greatly!

Tag alder in flower

Another late winter flowering shrub is Tag alder (Alnus serrulata). This wind-pollinated plant produces long narrow male catkins that release enormous amounts of pollen from March to April, depending on elevation and latitude. The attached photo shows both a male (pollen producing) catkin and several female catkins with tiny red hair-like structures (the stigmas) whose function is to catch wind-blown pollen. If all goes well, the female catkins eventually mature ripe seeds within small cone-like structures.