It’s late April, and that’s a little too late for many wildflowers, and a little early for some others. Regardless, I took a little time today to wander and see what wildflowers I could find here in Maryland. Several of these are tiny, not-showy flowers, and unless you see them in a cluster they’re not easy to spot. Once you start looking, though, you see them everywhere.

Little bursts of color and natural beauty (literally) in the backyard.

Dogwood (Cornus florida) – I’m cheating a little with this. The picture is actually from a week ago (Easter), and since then, the flowers have come off the trees. There are several areas where the forest floor under the dogwoods is still littered with white petals, so they haven’t been down for long. Legend says the Dogwood is a visual representation of the crucifixion of Christ – the flower itself is the cross, with bloodstains at the end of each petal, and Jesus’s crown of thorns is in the center of the flower.

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) – Keeping with the tree theme. Black Locusts are in full peak bloom right now. They’re among the latest tree blossoms every year. The flowers are edible and quite tasty (I like them fried in a light batter). I’ve thrown in an old video link here too showing my experience with that.

Stiff Marsh Bedstraw (Galium tinctorium) – I’m fairly confident that’s what this is. What originally attracted my attention was the unique radial arrangement of leaves. A pattern of seven leaves seems to be the most common, though they vary (the most in-focus here has only 6, but the slightly blurry one beneath is 7.) Very delicate, with tiny white flowers. Apparently it’s a weed, but it’s a pretty one!

Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) – These have been spreading naturally through some of the landscaping around my house. They were at peak about a week ago, but there are a few late-bloomers left.

Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) – These little flowers are impressive from a distance. They don’t grow densely, but they stand up above the grass and give the impression of a blue blanket spread across the grass.

Buttercups (Ranunculus acris) – Another small flower that is showy in groups. It’s all over open meadows this time of year.

Common Cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex) – More isolated and growing lower to the ground than a buttercup. Pretty little yellow flowers.

Dark Columbine (Aquilegia atrata) – Most wild columbines are red, but there is a variant that blooms with dark wine-colored, purple, or even brown flowers. These have slowly spread along my sidewalk over the years, no help needed.

Jack In The Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) – I had to go a bit into the woods to find these, and initially I thought the three-leafed plants were Trillium (though admittedly I’ve never seen those outside the Appalachian mountains). The flowers are big but hard to spot, since they’re mostly still green. Over the coming days they’ll get paler, and the stripes more prominent.

Low Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) – There are a lot of wild blueberries in the area, and right now they’re starting to flower. Each of these flowers will be a berry in late July.

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) – The plants are a distinctive shape, about a foot tall and forming an umbrella over a single flower that blooms underneath. These flowers form golf-ball-sized fruits that mature in late May, hence the name.

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) – They grow here in the lowlands too. It’s a little too early for the flowers, but the buds are evident. It’s going to be beautiful through here in a couple weeks.

Primrose-Leaved Violet (Viola primulifolia) – A white “violet” with asymmetric petals. Small, pretty and technically a violet, I guess!

Showy Orchid (Galearis spectabilis) – Small and unobtrusive, for something called “showy”, but the violet-white combination of colors is pretty striking.

Red Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) – A new one for me. Apparently it’s a member of the mint family, the leaves themselves turn dark and reddish as the plant matures.

And finally, not a flower at all, but an interesting find. I’m confident that this big feather is from a hawk – based on the stripes, I’m guessing Red-Shouldered (Buteo lineatus).

Go take a stroll through the local properties. Even right up against houses, wildflowers are trying to get a foothold. Many are tiny and subtle, but they’re beautiful!

Get Out There!