Spring wildflowers are coming up fast!
A Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) flower rises from the curled leaf, and petals begin to drop before the leaf completely unfolds. You may find clumps of bloodroot on the north slopes of the mountain. These ephemerals don’t last long!
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Rue-anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) is a native woodland plant and one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring.
Rue-anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)
Yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum) is one of our most numerous ephemeral wildflowers on the mountain. The trail behind the nature center passes through a large colony, and other patches of trout lilies can be found on the southern limestone slopes. Brown-mottled leaves give the plant its common name, as they resemble the markings of brook trout. Especially on warm and sunny days, nodding yellow flowers open, and petals bend backward to reveal yellow to brown stamens.
Yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum)