Wintergreen Blooms in the Spring

Welcome to the latest entry in my "Year in the Woods" series, where I document all the native plants I can find in our woods in one year.

Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) is a tiny, unassuming plant that (surpise!) stays green in the winter. You might not notice it, even in bloom. Enchanting, though, isn't it? Especially when you take a close up look at the small blossoms (second picture).

This is a sad example of grape fern (Botrychium dissectum), but it's the only one I could find in bloom. We had a dry spell for a good two weeks, and I think the grape fern has suffered.



 

Here is New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus), a small shrub that would do well in your yard. You may be able to find it at local nurseries.

Skullcap (Scutellaria elliptica).

The five foot tall flower stalks of yucca are quite striking (Yucca filamentosa). The bottom photo is a closeup of the blossom.

 

To see additional posts in this series, click the "yearinthewoods" label in the left column.

Here's a description of my wildflower "hunting" techniques and the references I use to identify them:

http://timberwalkers.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-to-find-native-wildflowers-and.html

Here's a description of how I take photos:

http://timberwalkers.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-take-half-decent-photos-of.html