
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.


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.

And fauna:
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.