Spring Flowers at Bent Tree

On the steep mountainside behind the Bent Tree house lush new life was springing up. The simple elegance of the yellow violet above was an inspiration to me. I was glad to see the mayapple or mandrake plants like the one at left springing up all over the hillside. The well-watered rue anemone below is just about the first flower out in the spring, and it was out in abundance.

The simple rue anemone yet shows intricate detail in its leaves.

This bloodroot beside Chestnut Cove Trail has its flower stalk up and will bloom in a few days, so I was wishing I could come back next week to see it.

Large patches of rue anemone were growing out of the leaf litter. I like seeing the variations on the violet, like the white violet above.

Large clumps of mayapple preview the time when it will carpet the entire forest floor later in the season.

The light blue variety of violets is reasonably rare in my experience there, but very beautiful.

This is the most common variety of violet, but I enjoy it too. It has a variety of shades from light violet to deep purple.

Happy violets after the rain.

We were a little early to catch this trilium in bloom, but it was neat growing beside the lichen-covered log.

Even this maple seedling made a dramatic statement in its spring emergence.

The white flower above left is quite abundant on the rocks and in the forest. The white violet above right is a little rarer, but I see it often on the stream below Chestnut Cove Trail. These are the white flowers along with the ever-present rue anemones at left.