What’s Up? Yellow

Posted on April 12, 2019 by elizabeth

Still no time to write anything substantial. Here are some yellow flowers, now (or recently) blooming in the Maryland piedmont.

a yellow haze of spicebush flowers (Lindera benzoin; Lauraceae)

another flowering shrub, leatherwood (Dirca palustris; Thymelaeaceae), S2/threatened in Maryland

trout lilies (Erythronium americanum; Liliaceae) will be blooming for another week or so in the Potomac gorge

Corydalis flavula (short-spurred corydalis or yellow fumewort; Papaveraceae)

one very early sessile bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia; Liliaceae); watch for more in the next week or so in the gorge, maybe a week after that further north and west in the piedmont

masses of golden ragwort (Packera aurea; Asteraceae) are blooming now along the Potomac; watch for them on the eastern part of Billy Goat C

smooth yellow violet, aka yellow forest violet (Viola pubescens var. scabriuscula; Violaceae)

Quick Carderock Update

Posted on March 31, 2019 by elizabeth

I had a quick look around the Carderock area on Friday (March 29), and saw the following plants blooming or budding. Also had fun taking closeup shots.

Arabidopsis lyrata (lyre-leaved rockcress): a few flowers –>

Boechera laevigata (smooth rockcress): buds
Cardamine angustifolia (slender toothwort): buds

<–Cardamine concatenata (cut-leaf toothwort): flowers

Claytonia virginica (spring beauty): lots of flowers
Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s breeches): a lot of buds, a few flowers

Dirca palustris (leatherwood): full bloom –>

<–Erythronium americanum (trout lily): gobs of leaves; 5 flowers

Lindera benzoin (spicebush): flowers

Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells): lots of buds, just a few open flowers –>

<–Micranthes virginiensis (early saxifrage): full bloom

The next few weeks should be spectacular.

Feeling Moody

Posted on April 26, 2018 by elizabeth

I’ve had a lot of fun the last few weeks shooting with the 70-200mm lens and the 105mm macro. A lot of pictures failed (that first lens is a beast if I’m shooting handheld in low light or a breeze), but I enjoy playing with light and shadows and I think I got some decent shots.

wild pinks (Silene caroliniana ssp. pensylvanica)

wild blue phlox (Phlox divaricata)

plantain-leaved pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia)

early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum), staminate flowers

smooth rockcress (Boechera laevigata, formerly Arabis laevigata)

early saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis, formerly Saxifraga virginiensis)

azure bluets (Houstonia caerulea)

leatherwood (Dirca palustris)

lyre-leaved rockcress (Arabidopsis lyrata)

sessile bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia)

Compressed (part 3)

Posted on April 9, 2018 by elizabeth

And here are a few more early spring bloomers to watch for in the Potomac Gorge.

Not as common as some of the flowers in yesterday’s post, but still easily found in rocky areas, are early saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis, formerly Saxifraga virginiensis), which are the white flowers on the right in this photo, and smooth rockcress (Boechera laevigata, formerly Arabis laevigata), which is the plant in bud on the left.

Growing right on top of boulders, the incomparably wispy and delicate lyre-leaved rockcress (Arabidopsis lyrata, formerly Arabis lyrata) are in full bloom already, but they have a long bloom period.
Also growing right on rocks, though in more open, sunny areas, is moss phlox (Phlox subulata). It, too, has a long bloom period.