In the briar patch, April 21-24


Star chickweed (I think).

This has been a bit of a slow spell in terms of wildflowers, but we’ve had rain and now it’s warmer, so the pace should pick up.  I was disappointed when looking up a delicate, pretty white flower that blooms with profusion in our woods now to discover that it apparently is a variety of chickweed. It’s not the same kind I’ve been pulling mercilessly out of my herb and flower beds. I guess this discovery is proof of the old saying that a weed is any plant that grows where it’s not wanted. The chickweed that grows in the woods is perfectly welcome there.

Dwarf crested iris – a beautiful, tiny wild iris.
Jack-in-the-pulpit – just in time for Easter Sunday.

Valerie Nieman, an author who lives in Greensboro, asked if the wild violets that are white with blue or purple centers, and often grow mingled with the wild blue violets, are Confederate violets. I had never heard of Confederate violets, but a little research convinced me that Val is right, and that I have a Confederate violet in my yard.

Confederate violet, or woolly violet, viola sororia priceana

And fauna:

Some sort of salamander - there was one like it only about twice as large, but it was shyer. They were under the liner of our water garden.

If you have any insight into the type of salamander pictured here, please share it. It was under the liner of our water garden, which needs replacing. There were several such creatures there – one about twice as large as this one. The large one was probably 8 to 10 inches long.


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