First Visit To Irma's Woods

Somehow a trip across the valley to view native wildflowers in a totally natural setting seemed like a great way to start this day.  This hillside slopes to the south with no land forms blocking sunlight from warming the ground.  That results in the earliest known location of plants in bloom.  Coltsfoot is not a native plant but it was in widespread use as a medicinal plant in colonial days.  Its early appearance with flowers appearing before leaves earned it a place in this post.  Here it grows only in the ditch adjacent to the road.  Sometimes it is wildly invasive but here it is well behaved as were the students in Irma's classes.

These Spring beauty flowers are newly opened.  The bright pink pollen has never been seen by us before.  We suspect that by late afternoon today it will have completed its job and be gone.  It was a genuine thrill to see something for the very first time especially at our age.

  

This plant remains unidentified so far.  We recognize the Goldenrod emerging to its left but the bud cluster above three leaves will need to be seen again before identification can be made.  Many more visits will be made here.  If we can find it again after it has grown, identification may be possible.

Actually all that was needed for a proper identification was to let some time pass.  We are now certain that this plant is Toothwort or Crinkleroot.

We believe that Hepatica wins the race to be the first native plant to open flowers with Spring Beauty coming in a close second.  The pictured plant has leaves that end in a point and appears in several different forms.  These flowers have nine violet colored petals but both the number and color vary.  Our point and shoot camera does not accurately capture the color of he flowers.  It is much darker than seen here with solid  colored petals from their base to their tip.

These six petaled white flowers are also Sharp lobed hepatica.  Several maroon colored leaves can be seen below the flowers.  Hepatica frequently carries over leaves from last summer.  These leaves are functional supplying nutrition for both the flowers and the newly emerging leaves. 

 This sad looking plant has spent several years in our shade garden.  Two deer hoof prints can be seen too close to the heart of the plant.  These need to be carefully filled in and this plant would benefit from a covering cage.  Somehow welded wire cages detract from the natural look that we are trying for.

April Weather

Yesterday was warm enough to work outside as long as the sun was shining.  We were so focused on our plants that we did not notice the sun disappearing behind the clouds and hobbled indoors stiff and cold but pleased with what had been accomplished.  Jane's Bearded iris are a treasure both because of their source and their color.  Royal purple flowers are both beautiful and appropriate reminders of Jane and all that she did for us.  Prairie smoke fills the corner and is doing well as a recent transplant.  It likely should be divided but doubt if we will risk damaging it.  By early June its tight pink flowers will open widely into foam appearing clusters.  It is quite a visual treat.

 

We have recently been invaded by iris eating voles.  They have nearly completely destroyed our line of Siberian iris planted down near the road.  We watched with glee when the resident fox captured and ate  voles fairly close to the house.  We were fearful that Jane's iris might be in danger and were thrilled with this nearby deposit that may mark the foxes territory and possible protection for the iris.  It was placed by the fox at the edge of the stone path and will remain there.  We may be viewed as more than a little nuts leaving this where the fox placed it but it may afford some degree of protection for our plants.

 

We also worked at the top end of the bed initially dealing with last year's October skies growth.  This is not a native aster but it does possess certain traits that make it an excellent garden plant.  For some reason the deer have not eaten it.  Its arching branches form a huge closely spaced half sphere that is covered with purple flowers.  New growth is already evident and new plants could easily be dug for transplanting now.  Perhaps this year will see the edging stone path finally finished.

This native Sedum is new to us and has grown greatly in its short time with us.  It appears to be pleased with its location in the hot sunshine near the house.

Our native Early meadow rue and its mate reside in the shade garden near the road.  It exists in both male and female form.  We believe that this is the female plant but accurate identification will follow when more growth is evident.  Male plants are much smaller and there is a visible difference in the flowers.  These plants grow in abundance next to Irma's woods but we honored her memory by buying our two plants.  Both have prospered here and new seedlings are abundant.  Leaves will follow these early flower buds and another growth year will be underway.

Yesterday's chill kept us inside this morning but bright sunshine lured us outside to make the nearly half mile walk to the mail box.  Despite our years outside, we failed to notice the looming black clouds to the west.  Totally dry ice pellets began to fall while we were at the base of the hill.  Our return walk up the hill took enough time that the early scattered ice pellets increased in number as seen in the photo.  It seems that we get older but no wiser but it was an experience to be out in what was a brief but heavy ice storm.