first woodland wildflowers

first woodland flowers --

white trout lily, dutchman's breetches,

pink-tinged spring beauty

After a long, cold early Spring, temperatures suddenly soared into the upper nineties (98 F, 37 C) in early May, way too early. Woodland wildflowers erupted in a hurry in late April and are already gone to seed by mid-May. These charming flowers prefer to grow in dappled shade, so I find them easily beside the path along Pilgrim Creek. White Trout Lily, so-called because of the spotted trout-shaped leaf, has upward curving petals that look like shooting stars. Dutchman's Breetches, named for the flowers that appear like upside-down pantaloons, look to me more like a congregation of white-winged angels hovering above the lacy leaves. The star-shaped Spring Beauty has a delicate pink-tinged star-shaped blossom, and in addition, edible roots that also give it the name "Fairy Spud."