I’m working on a very complicated post that’s already a bit late for this season, but in the meantime here are two pictures of one of my favorites, dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius). Yes, the specific epithet is misleading, since this plant sometimes has five leaflets rather than three. In the second photo you can see part of a mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum); that and the fallen leaves give you a sense of scale. Dwarf ginseng is at peak bloom now in the southern part of the Maryland piedmont.

(Click on the pictures, they’re so much more interesting when viewed larger.)

And what the heck, here’s a violet, because wow, look at that color.