Short Walk in the Woods

[NCHillbilly]

The spring wildflowers are starting to bloom now, it's a good time to get out, poke around in the woods and take a look around at all the ephemeral magic that happens in the few short weeks before the trees leaf out and steal all the sunlight.

Yellow sessile trillium:



Showy orchid:


Dwarf crested Iris:



Robin's plantain:




Plenty of things that are interesting even without blooms, too.

Hepatica leaves:



Ginseng:



Squaw root is popping up everywhere:




Part of the remains of an old independent small business that used to manufacture and sell medicinal products:

 

[Cmp1]

Nice shots,,,,

 

[oldguy]

Pretty pictures!
Got any Ladies' Slippers?

 

[NCHillbilly]

Pretty pictures!
Got any Ladies' Slippers?

Yeah, we have both pink and yellow. And showy in a couple of isolated populations. They haven't bloomed yet.

 

[LOVEMYLABXS]

Really nice shots NCH

 

[Thunder Head]

We have plenty of the dwarf iris in stephens county. I see them on Lake russell WMA and surrounding natl. forest.

Nice shots!

 

[blood on the ground]

Squaw root is a new one on me! Nice shots, thanks for sharing.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Squaw root is a new one on me! Nice shots, thanks for sharing.

It's a parasitic plant that grows on beech and oak roots. Very common in the mountains here. I've always heard that bears eat it when they first come out of hibernation as a laxative to dislodge the fecal plug of sticks and leaves that they eat and form before denning up for the winter.

 

[JustUs4All]

I think I may have a bit of those medicinal products in my cabinet.

 

[wvdawg]

Nice shots. It has greened up here quite a bit!

 

[blood on the ground]

It's a parasitic plant that grows on beech and oak roots. Very common in the mountains here. I've always heard that bears eat it when they first come out of hibernation as a laxative to dislodge the fecal plug of sticks and leaves that they eat and form before denning up for the winter.

Head full of knowledge!

 

[Silver Britches]

Looks like a very enjoyable walk. I got a few places I want to go walk through, but got to wait for the water to go down.

 

[Doug B.]

I love those Showy Orchids. I haven't seen any this year but I still have time to look for them.

 

[GAJoe]

A great collection of images! Thanks for posting.