Natives delight

Native spring wildflowers are a bit picky about where they like to grow, and I'm still working on creating their ideal habitat. When we moved here, the yard was blessed with many full-size (75 feet to 100 feet) native trees, but all the smaller trees and shrubs normal for this Piedmont environment were missing. For the past 19 years, we've been planting understory trees and shrubs, building the layers that will eventually create the shady loamy soil that native wildflowers require.

But that doesn't mean the spring landscape is completely bereft of wildflower beauty. Two species delight us every year at this time. On a sharp, boulder-strewn slope that tumbles to the creek bounding our yard, the bloodroots (Sanguinaria canadensis) are in full bloom. They last a week or two at most, but they are worth watching for. Bright white anemonelike petals open seemingly overnight, pushing through the leafy forest floor.

Another plant popping up on my moist floodplain is the Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) -- a whole horde of them. I relocated a few specimens of this fairly common beauty from beside my creek to a spot a little higher up, where they are easier to admire. The shiny, speckled, twin umbrellalike leaves are just reaching their full height. I can see the big round flower buds nestled where the leaves join. Soon the single white flowers will open, but only folks willing to bend low and peek beneath the leaves will fully appreciate their beauty.