Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well and enjoying your spring. I apologize for this post being somewhat late. I don’t really have a good reason for being late, but I have been fairly busy doing other things.  During the winter I watched more movies after dinner rather than spending more time on this site once updates were made. Then spring came and I was still stuck in slow motion.

I finally made it back to Kevin’s woods on May 3 after a downpour. I had hoped to get back to the woods before because I needed more photos of several wildflowers growing there. I especially needed photos of the White Fawnlily (Erythronium albidum) because I have yet to get photos of its flowers. They supposedly bloom March-May. On the last visit on March 31, there were ALOT of White Fawnlily along the creek and the hillside. Well, folks, on May 3, there were none to be found… If they bloomed, they had already gone dormant. GEEZ! A lot can happen in these woods along the creek after a downpour, and that happened as well. The creek overflowed and I could tell there had been a few landslides covering up most of the Cut-Leaved Toothwort and Dutchman’s Breeches. Their flowers were all gone… I hoped they were still there so I could get more photos… GEEZ!

Arisaema draconitum (Green Dragon) on 5-3-24. #986-1.

There wasn’t that many Arisaema draconitum (Green Dragon) this time and what I did find weren’t blooming yet…

Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-In-The Pulpit) on 5-3-24, #986-3.

There were more Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-In-The-Pulpit) than Green Dragon, but I only found one with a flower. They weren’t as plentiful as usual either. It could have been because of the drought last summer.

I walked up the steep hillside and crossed the fence… This can be a challenge but there are a few wildflowers I needed to locate.

Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy) on 5-3-24, #986-9.

I did find plenty of Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy) on the hillside to photograph. This is a new species for me for 2024 so I don’t have a page for it yet…

Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy) on 5-3-24, #986-12.

I was very glad several plants had flowers. They are fairly small and dangle downward from fairly long hairy pedicels.

Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy) on 5-3-24, #986-14.

Some of the plants also had fruit. I am working on getting a new camera so I can take better close-ups without having to use a magnifying glass…

Once I took several photos of Aunt Lucy, I headed farther south along the fence toward the other fence, but not quite all the way there… Kind of hard to explain, but I knew where I was headed to find one of the most special plants in Kevin’s woods… I have only found one, and this is the only place I have ever seen them.

Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed) on 5-3-24, #986-33.

The Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed) is such a magnificent plant. In my opinion, any plant with perfoliate leaves is awesome! This plant grows really fast, and by May 3 it had already grown nearly waist high.

Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed) on 5-3-24, #986-34.

It is a member of the Honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae and has very interesting flowers.

Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed) on 5-3-24, #986-35.

By now, the flowers are much longer. I first found this plant by chance on May 10 in 2020 and it has always been the highlight of my trips to Kevin’s woods. It only grows in one spot and finding it after the undergrowth starts growing is very difficult.

Botrypus virginianus (Rattlesnake Fern) on 5-3-24, #986-4.

When I was getting ready to leave the woods, I stumbled upon a Botrypus virginianus (Rattlesnake Fern). I was surprised since I hadn’t found any ferns growing in Kevin’s woods before. I always thought it was odd since these woods would make a perfect habitat for ferns. I first identified this species growing in the woods along the Rock Island Spur of the Katy Trail along the south side of the farm in 2022. Sorry, I don’t have a page for it yet…

As I was getting ready to leave…

Viola eriocarpa (Smooth Yellow Violet) on 5-3-24, #986-37.

What used to be Viola pubescens (Downey Yellow Violet) is now Viola eriocarpa (Smooth Yellow Violet)… Ignore the Persicaria virginiana (Jumpseed) in the photo… Anyway, Viola pubescens used to be very unique with its yellow flowers and fuzzy fruit but unfortunately, a former synonym, Viola pubescens var. eriocarpon is now the accepted Viola eriocarpa…

Viola eriocarpa (Smooth Yellow Violet) on 5-3-24, #986-38.

While Viola pubescens is still an accepted scientific name, it has been discovered Viola eriocarpa is much more widespread… So much so that most of the observations submitted to iNaturalist are actually V. eriocarpa. Ummm… Viola pubescens have basal leaves while in flower and fruiting, while V. eriocarpa doesn’t. I suppose the above photo confirms V. eriocarpa in Kevin’s woods since there are no basal leaves. Hmmm… Now I have to update the page properly and change the captions under the photos. GEEZ!

That’s it for this post! I have photos of new plants including new Hosta, Aloe, cactus, etc. I didn’t get too carried away with new plants this year… A new post is coming soon.

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, always be thankful and GET DIRTY!