Lapping up Spring Beauties

Mid-Ohio is still displaying the earliest of the spring ephemerals. A brief walk through Sears Woods in Crawford County offered stunning view of both botany and migrating Warblers. Between the two of them, it was almost more than I could bear.



Squirrel Corn, Dicentra canadensis is a little less common than its relative Dutchman's Breeches. The flowers are all white, and more heart-shaped than the pant-like shapes of that other springtime favorite. But once you smell the sweet fragrance of squirrel corn, you will understand why it is so highly prized.

Behold, the earliest of this year's crop of butterflies, the Spring Azure laps nectar from a Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica.

Today I headed south to Shawnee State Park to attend Flora-Quest. It is hard to believe the difference 200 miles south can make in vegetation! Spring is leafing out in southern Ohio, and we are ready for an amazing event!