What A Difference A Day Makes

I guess I thought I might have to title this post "The Morning After" like the title of some doomsday movie.  Transplanting native wildflowers is tricky and often ill advised.  The plants were in a spot where they were being crowded out by other plants or would be squished by truck tires.  Permission of the landowner was granted since both Ed and I agreed that the move should be made. We must have been a sight while we were soaking large soil clumps in water and carefully searching for the delicate roots of the plants.  It was raining slightly.  Working without gloves with mud up to our elbows, we soaked the clumps in water.  As soon as a few were worked free, Ed planted them immediately.  We finished the Starflower first.  Ed watered them well.  That was yesterday.  This is how the Starflower looks this morning.

Behold a Starflower  plant standing tall. It's two delicate white flowers looking terrific complete with yellow pollen and a visiting pollinator.  Whew!  Do we feel better!

 This Polygala was worked free of the woodland soil tangle with an impressively long piece of root.  If a break occurred, it happened when the soil block was pulled from the ground.  Polygala develops an underground flower that produces seed.  The taller stem has unusual growth at the soil line that may well become cleistogamous flowers.

 
Our own mix of woodland soil was added to the existing ground after the leaf mulch was pushed aside.  Carefully the roots were placed horizontally in this soft soil.  Gentle compaction helped some of the plants return to an upright position while others needed the addition of leaf mulch.

We were somewhat surprised at the number of plants that were somewhat hidden if the forest soil.  All but one were intact enough to plant.  We were hopeful that some of these treasures may live in their new home.

We were shocked to find these flowers looking like they did yesterday before they were yanked from the ground.  This picture was taken before this mornings watering washed the litter from the leaves.  The condition of this transplant has me looking forward to winter so that we can see if these plants appear next spring.