Bob's Spring Flowers

Photos and Commentary by Bob Kelly.

The Dog Tooth Violet, also called the Trout Lily is showing itself now, and here are some early ones. There will be droves of them this weekend if we have some warmer weather.
I cannot tell you why they are called Dog Tooth Violet other than the flower hanging upside down somewhat resembles the incisor tooth of a dog!! You can make up your own reasons why they are called a Trout Lily!! (Note from Jay - Look here to find the reason.) They are a very pale violet with bright yellow stamens in the center. When the sun hits them the new ones open wide like a big star, and when it is cloudy as it was today they close or are partly open. There are millions of them at Inis Grove Park, so enjoy looking and seeing!!




The May Apple is a giant compared to the tiny flowers I have been photographing, with large canopy leaves, sometimes as much as 8 inches across. You can see from the first photo how they emerge from the forest floor....all wrapped up like an umbrella, and as they grow taller it unfurls into the full leaves you see on the other plants. They are at their peak in May, and some have a small bud attached that opens into a white blossom about the size of a quarter, which turns into an apple looking fruit. I wouldn't eat it!! They are just fun to see and grow in patches around the forest.




A weed is a plant out of place, and some people consider a mass of violet in their yard a weed! These were on the trails at Brookside Park and are most definitely in the category of wild flowers in my book. Whether purple, yellow, or shades of purple and white, or in some cases totally white...they are like tiny delicate orchids, and like many other small flowers...the closer you get the better they look!!


I found this one, beautiful Blue Bell in the brush of Brookside Park, all by itself, just waiting for someone like me to crawl down and give it a look and I did. The flower buds open with a pink color and then turn blue and do look like lovely delicate bells hanging down for lucky viewers to enjoy!
The Bleeding Heart blossoms are most unique in the shape and color, and they form in large clusters, bending their branches into graceful arcs. People do plant these in their yards, but they originally did and still do grow wild in places. I may try some ultra closeups on this blossom in a few days if the weather and the flowers hold out!!