Garden Photo of the Day

Springtime Ephemeral

By Kim Charles

Pattie Clifford from Indiana finds some beautiful surprises in her local woodlands.

"Taking a recent walk through the woods, these tiny flowers greeted me."

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  1. user-7007498 05/04/2017

    Good morning, Pattie. Thanks for sharing your photos today. I also love to walk through the woods, especially at this time of year. The beauty of the spring ephemerals turns my hike into slow stroll. Despite their delicate appearance, these are tough opportunists. I love it.

  2. User avater
    treasuresmom 05/04/2017

    Love spring ephemerals but living down deep south they are not crazy about us. I have trilliums and usually see them in bloom but never see the bloodroot or hepatica blooms. Pics are great!

  3. pattieswinfordclifford 05/04/2017

    Yes, springtime walks don't burn many calories. Too busy ooh and ahhing.

  4. rogerwx 05/04/2017

    I Love wildflowers-would you be willing to e-mail me the names of the plants in each photo. ANN

    1. pattieswinfordclifford 05/04/2017

      Starting at the top...Virginia bluebells, Hepatica, Blood root, Dutchman's britches, Spring beauty, Rue Anemone and Jacobs ladder. Sorry I don't know all the Latin names. I tried to put their names in when I submitted photos, but I didn't get that mastered.

      1. deeinde 05/05/2017

        LOVE your pictures, Pattie! I am not sure where you are from. I live in Delaware and we have all of these wildflowers as well. The second to the last picture has me stumped though. I don't see Rue Anemone leaves and the flower doesn't have as many petals as the ones we have here. I don't see False rue anemone leaves either. But I can't identify it as anything else. Maybe a wildflower I don't have in Delaware? Any thoughts?

        1. pattieswinfordclifford 05/05/2017

          False Rue Anemone. 5 petals, the leave are showing next to the bloom.
          I'm in Indiana.

          1. deeinde 05/05/2017

            It is beautiful!

  5. user-4691082 05/04/2017

    Thanks Pattie,
    What would we do without the spring ephemerals? I didn't get a chance to photograph my double bloodroot (sanguinaria canadensis 'multiplex') this year, so I am kicking myself. It is finally increasing in size. What do all of us gardeners say? There's always next year!

  6. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 05/04/2017

    Spring ephemerals capture my heart as a child and I still love them. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing your walk and what a lovely woodland carpet. Invasive understory plants, like Japanese honeysuckles, are destroying woodland plant habitats by crowding and shading them out. This looks clear and healthy!

    1. NCYarden 05/04/2017

      Ha, I was just asking you about that crazy honeysuckle when I was up there last weekend. It is everywhere!

      1. User avater
        Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 05/04/2017

        Yep. On a visit to an arboretum in Chicago a few years ago, they were in the midst of removing the invasive understory where no ephemerals had been. After the removal they revived and returned. It's a lot of work!

  7. sheila_schultz 05/04/2017

    Spring ephemerals look so fragile but like the energizer bunny they keep coming back . I can't imagine anyone not smiling and taking a moment to stop and take in their beauty! Thanks Patti.

  8. NCYarden 05/04/2017

    What a great walk in the woods. Nothing like the woodland garden, even when naturally developed. The ephemerals are such a pleasant greeting to the Spring awakening. I wish there were more of these in more areas around me. Thanks for sharing.

  9. user-6841468 05/04/2017

    I love Dutchman's breeches, 4th picture, and bloodroot, 3rd picture, but i'll need to look up the others. thank you for sharing.

  10. Sunshine111 05/04/2017

    How lovely! Aren't you the lucky one to have such beauty in your neighborhood. I've had to buy these spring beauties and plant them to have the same effect... consider yourself blessed my dear! ???

  11. annek 05/04/2017

    So beautifully delicate

  12. User avater
    LindaonWhidbey 05/04/2017

    Patti, these spring appearances are one of nature's special gift and you've reminded me to get out in the woods to check them out. It takes me back to my childhood and the wonder of finding trilliums. Thanks for sharing.

  13. tennisluv 05/04/2017

    Thanks for sharing your woodland walk. Spring ephemerals are such dainty, but iron-clad maidens of spring. Envious of your having woods nearby in which to walk.

  14. schatzi 05/04/2017

    Thank you Pattie. I love the spring ephemerals too. Beautiful photos. I am glad to see they still exist somewhere in the wild. Beautiful open woods. I know I have some native SE's in my woods, but it would take a bulldozer to open a path again. These woods were logged before we bought the property 40 years ago, so there were paths thru, but they were not maintained so the temperate rainforest has closed in. Speaking of rain, it's still here...but everything is blooming.

  15. janlyn 05/04/2017

    Love the pictures, but would like to know what kind of plants these are.

  16. User avater
    meander_michaele 05/04/2017

    Thanks to your excellent photography, I am finding myself drawn to the foliage as well as the flowers. It's nice to appreciate the whole "package" and not just the fancy bow. Thanks for sharing your woodsy walk with us, Pattie.

  17. greengenes 05/04/2017

    What wonderful pictures! Love the fresh newness of the ephemerals. Did you plant any of these? Its kind of funny but over here we buy these to plant in our gardens! These are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

  18. Maggieat11 05/05/2017

    What a wonderful variety of spring wildflowers! I have always been a huge fan and it brings back many happy memories. My Dad and I used to have this "unspoken" contest to see which one of us could find the first flowers, each spring, of most of these varieties, as well as Trillium. Thanks for sharing!

  19. LaurelEm 05/05/2017

    I adore all these little woodland wildflowers. I discovered just lately that I do have a little space on our property where I can grow some of these. It would be a several year plan. Your pictures really inspire me to push the envelope a little!

  20. janeeliz 05/06/2017

    I love each and every one of these delicate, but sturdy, spring treasures, pushing up through the leaves. Simply beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  21. Cenepk10 05/07/2017

    I see some of those on my walks. Pretty. Next will be the peas. So pretty. And I love honeysuckle & privet. Most glorious smell on Earth ( besides David Austin roses :) )

  22. thevioletfern 05/08/2017

    Absolutely LOVE! I have started many of these in my garden but don't have the large admirable drifts I see here. Time and patience. Spring ephemerals are so enchanting and I don't understand why they are not more widely used in home gardens. They even benefit the pollinators. Truly beautiful! A woodland work of art.

  23. user-6536305 01/06/2018

    Missed this post. Beautiful woodland garden and thanks for sharing!

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