I knew when I took the picture of this delicate looking wildflower that I had never seen it before. I looked in my new wildflower book with the great flower pictures, but it was my 1948 wildflower identification guide with the line drawings that gave me my answer. The co-joined twin leaves were the distinctive clue this time. The three basal leaves are similar in outline but are borne on separate stalks. Mitella diphylla or miterwort is the name of this one. The delicately fringed petals on the flowers are distinctive too, but you need magnification to see that. The flowers are tiny just 1/6 of an inch across. It's always a treat to see a new wildflower for the first time. It makes for a special day indeed!
We missed a frost last night, but just by a whisker. The condensation on the cars was liquid on the side surfaces, but frozen hard on the windshields.I know this since Ed was outside before 6 am. He believes that if frost is rinsed off the plant surfaces before sunlight strikes them damage can be avoided. Fact or fiction? I do not know if this is actually the case. The sun is shining so it should warm up quickly.
3 comments:
How nice to have a reference book that has the answer!! Sweet little flower.
A lovely wildflower! I've heard that about rinsing the frost off plants and think that this is exactly what gardeners in Florida do for the orange crops! gail
I had ID'd this as Miterwort, too. Which pleases me as I've been trying to educate myself on some natives, so thanks for sharing. It does, indeed, have an intriguing bloom. (Here's a closeup photo for anyone who's interested: http://tinyurl.com/pbym8t) We had a very cold night here last night, too, but missed the frost. :)
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