Just remember, in ten weeks (more or less, depending on weather), there will be harbingers-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa) poking up through the leaf litter to welcome the vernal equinox.
<—look how tiny!
I know, skunk cabbage blooms earlier. But wouldn’t you rather look at these?
harbinger-of-spring
aka pepper-and-salt
Erigenia bulbosa
Apiaceae
Yesterday I finally got back out to Carderock after a two-week absence, and was delighted to find that rumors of harbinger-of-spring in bloom were true. And there were spring beauties, of course, though not many yet. 
dime shot for scale
Other plants seen:
spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Lauraceae
The weather’s getting colder [actually not, we’re having an unusual warm spell], the leaves are off the trees, the perennial wildflowers are dormant: the season is done. And so is this blog, for a little while. I’ll make an occasional post if I find something interesting or lovely while out and about, things like plants going to seed or nice landscapes. I’ll post the Three Views shots in early December. And probably some time in early March I’ll be out again looking for harbinger-of-spring to emerge, and the blog will re-emerge, too. Farewell for now!
above: bumblebee departing riverbank goldenrod
below: sunset on the Potomac near C&O Canal Lock 8, October 20
bottom: harbinger-of-spring last March
Erigenia bulbosa
Apiaceae
I started this blog on April Fools’ Day, 2014, noting that I couldn’t remember a colder winter. Well, guess what? 2015’s been pretty damn cold, too. The plants are off to an even slower start this year.
But I did find harbinger-of-spring yesterday (it was my first Flower of the Day feature last year). Not a bad way to start the season. This tiny plant in the carrot family can be very difficult to spot amongst the leaf litter, as it stands only a few inches tall; each cluster of flowers measures only a quarter inch across.
To put that into perspective, note the medium-sized maple leaf lying next to the plant.
Next up, a really strange plant that is, as far as I can tell, the earliest blooming one in the area.
Elizabeth's Wildflower Blog 