Almost full circle

One Sunday last April Kate and I went for a walk in the woods. I took some pictures of some of the flowers and such that we encountered, and decided to write about it (Things We Saw in the Woods Today). I didn't know it at the time, but it was the start of a project to catalog all of the native flowering plants (including shrubs and small trees) that I could find in our woods in one year. I call it my "Year in the Woods" series, and you can see all 21 posts (including this one) by clicking the label on left side of the page.

It's been very exciting to discover that there well over 100 different species of plants on our small woodlot in Piedmont North Carolina. That doesn't even include trees, ferns, grasses and mosses, nor does it include the things I've missed (and I'm sure I've missed a few). Now here we are at the cusp of spring almost a year later and it's time to close the circle.

As noted above, I began this project in early April last year. Thus, I missed a few of the early spring bloomers, so that's what I'll cover in this final post.

Red maple (Acer rubrum) is one of the first harbingers of spring. You might not even notice the blossoms since you have to look up, but they are quite pretty.

Next come the Redbuds (Cercis Canadensis) which are nothing short of spectacular.

But don't forget to look down, because there you will find the bluets (Houstonia caerulea), and nothing could be sweeter.

I was also pleased to discover that these cute little field pansies are apparently native (Viola bicolor).

Wild plums are common in the North Carolina woods, but I had not previously found them here. The fruit is small, but they are a favorite of deer. Not entirely sure of the species, but possibly Prunus americana or Prunus angustifolia.

Next we have running cedar. I long thought this was related to cedar trees and juniper bushes, but it is actually a clubmoss that reproduces by spores. Those yellow "blossoms" release the spores. There are several different species, but this one may be Diphasiastrum digitatum.

And we end the show with Serviceberry, Amelanchier arborea. This is a small tree that produces berries which are enjoyed by birds and other wildlife species. There are cultivars available that you can plant in your landscape as well.

Thanks for following along, it's been a great trip. I may work on the ferns next, so stay tuned.

For a list of all the plants I've found over the past year, click here.

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