Sunday, April 19, 2015

SPRING FLOWERS, discoveries, and wonders

post #238
      Yesterday.  April 18, 2015.  Northeastern Kentucky.  A walk in our woods and beyond. A greater variety of wildflowers in one day than I ever remember happening.  Just two friends, Karen and Doug, and me, the cliffs and creeks, and so many surprises. This included the sun, even though, as a photographer, I would have preferred more clouds.  Well, since this blog is partly about photography itself, I'll add further that since we were there from before 2 until 5ish I may not have the best light in these photos, but I did get to experience the beauty of the place just for itself and in that time. What a gift. What an afternoon.
       Now for some visuals!
These hepatica are bloomed out, but the winter liver-shaped leaf is still there to identify the plants.


Everywhere there were the leaves of the trout lilies, but we only saw a few flowers.  We would have missed them all together if Doug had not spotted this one.  I hope I get to return in a few days to see if there is briefly a blanket of them on the forest floor.

nearby Dutchman's britches

     The area near the chimney (see two posts ago) has high cliffs.  Doug was wandering around up nearer the cliffs than the creek, which we were following, and he found a boulder covered with white trillium!  Closer to the creek we had been seeing just a few trillium, so it was like finding hidden away treasures in the attic.  The hepatica in the first photo are actually up on the boulder as well, surrounded by blooming trillium.














     Nearby there are many, many mayapples, not yet with the flower underneath the leaves, but almost ready for that part of their life:


         We figured out many of the flowers, but we weren't sure if this is a lady's slipper or is it some other kind of orchid:

BULLETIN:  My friend Ann S. identified this plant, on Monday, as a SHOWY ORCHIS!


an exhuberance of fiddleheads



    Next week, more flowers, and also some redbud photos!  This year I have managed to get more than one decent shot of a redbud tree!  Here is one photo until then, along the road to town:
 

1 comment:

  1. Having recently walked with you near the chimney it was such a delight to see the many new delights you found on your latest trek. I especially loved the photo of the fiddleheads, and though there were no particular wildflowers mentioned in one photo, i really loved the photo titled "nearby Dutchman's britches". I was also curious about what tiny flowers were near the mayapples (are they related?). And oh, the trillium!! Can't wait to see your next blog. I hope you find an expanse of trout lilies! As I heave to leave these beloved Kentucky Mountains during the summer i will experience them vicariously through your blog - so many thanks!! C.W.

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