Wildflower Wednesday

For months now, I've been chomping at the bit hoping that I could play on Wildflower Wednesday.  I've shown questionable nubs of green and flowers from years past, but this month, it's like my tuba has been repaired; mum's got the fringe tidied up on my shoulders; and my brass buttons have been polished - I'm back in the marching band once again.

So here's a pictorial of wildflowers from the beginning of May until this weekend - from brown sprouts of hope, to acres of green and blue.

My first wildflower of the garden - I can feel the squint the the petals of the hairy little Hepatica - 

Hard to believe that these Trillium grandiflorum going to live up to their name:

Dicentra culcularia by the front stoop.

And no not wild flowers, but a lovely little finch who is nesting in the Magnolia stellata, and now three weeks later is invisible, hidden behind all the leaves:

A week later, a little show of white on the T. grandiflorum.

And a week later, in someone else's garden - the full joy of their open blossoms.

A little native fern that has decided to do it's own mutating:

Mertensia virginica - Virginia Bluebells - little pieces of sky visiting the earth.

Arisaema triphyllum on my walk this weekend with Judy.

And the reason for this woodland walk along 16 Mile Creek - the Mertensia virginica were in bloom:

One of the prettiest wildflowers in Ontario.

Sadly they're having to do battle with the dreaded garlic mustard - see all those little white dots - all garlic mustard.

There are organized pulls to keep them under control.  This patch of M. virginica is much bigger than in years past, perhaps it's a sign that the pulls are working.

M. virginica is an ephemeral.  So these wonderful leaves will soon yellow and die over the next month.  It's a plant that I tuck into an area with hosta, so that the last stages of its life can be given a little privacy under the large hosta leaves.

Here we have Geranium maculatum.  If you can find one in your nursery, and have dry shade, you really can't ask for a better low-maintenance attractive plant.  More little dots of garlic mustard to the top right.

And while this excellent slow-growing woodlander, False Solomon's Seal,  has been growing away, its name has been changed to Maianthemum racemosum. 

 The Trilliums are coming to an end for this year:

And back home on an early morning walk, here's an excellent patch of Polygonatum Solomon's Seal, growing in a nearby garden.  It's flashy cousin Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' is perennial of the year.  It makes a very sad looking potted plant, but quickly becomes a stunner in the garden.  I'd encourage anyone to take a leap of faith when they see one at the garden centre to take it home and plant it in a shady spot.

And should you not have enough wildflowers for the moment - and frankly how could you ever have enough? be certain to visit Gail at Clay & Limestone for more Wildflower Wednesday.