Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Today I spent more than six hours in the greater Carderock area, took more than… well, never mind how many photographs, and at the end, when I was dog tired and ready to go home, I found a plant I haven’t seen in five years. More on that later.

I did miss the full bloom of twinleaf, and bloodroot is done, too; nonetheless, this has been one of the best hunting days ever.

Carderock; Billy Goat B; the Basin; Billy Goat C central section
49 F, calm and sunny at 8:25 am
73 F with building overcast and breezy at 2:40 pm

Native Plants Emerging (since last outing):
bellwort
rattlesnake weed
early meadow rue
wild geranium
Coville’s phacelia
racemose goldenrod
rattlesnake weed
bastard toadflax

bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia)

Native Plants in Flower:
spring beauty
Virginia bluebells – in blue, white, and pink!
Dutchman’s breeches and squirrel corn
cut-leaved and slender toothwort
early saxifrage
smooth and lyre-leaved rock cress
rue anemone
wild ginger
wild pink
wild blue phlox and moss phlox
field chickweed and star chickweed
golden alexanders
golden ragwort
short-spurred corydalis
toadshade, including yellow-form
bluets
southern chervil
redbud
downy serviceberry
kidney-leaved buttercup and swamp buttercup
common blue violet, including white form
smooth yellow violet
white violet, not sure which species
trout lily
and, at last…white trout lily!

Erythronium albidum, threatened in Maryland

…for a total of 31 species in one day.