Mayapples

The mayapples are in finally in full bloom here in the Pewaukee area.  These were growing in the woods along the side of Lindsay Road.  The little white flowers are hard to see unless you bend over and look underneath the leaves.  There is some debate about whether the resulting fruit is edible - it supposedly ripens in the fall and has a lemony flavor, and was once considered a staple of Native Americans.

Trilliums

Trilliums are the perfect "trifecta." - The flowers have three petals and the plant has three leaves.
This pretty pink variety was growing along the edge of Lindsay Road. I experimented with a b&w overlay to show the contrast of the flowering plants against the lush green background.

Spring Wildflowers

Spring is truly here and there are a variety of wildflowers, blooms, and fungus scattered throughout the woods during our daily walks.  Here is a delicate variety of spring beauties (or fairy spud!) growing in the shade under a canopy of ash and hickory trees. Latin name: Claytonia virginica. I'll have more postings of our discoveries throughout the week.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Berries

Autumn is on its way around here, sooner than we'd like to admit.  However, one of the pretty pops of color in the fall woods are the Jack-in-the-Pulpit berries. The stalks are anywhere from 8" to 12" tall and the cluster of berries is usually the size of a golf ball (above). However, the specimen below was about about the size of tennis ball! You can see what the springtime flowers look like here. You'd never guess by looking at them that they turn into these odd little pods.