March 31, 2021 - Plants on Ferry Hill trail in flower, close to or somewhat close to being in flower.
(alphabetical)

Bellwort
Blackhaw  (W)
Bladdernut  (W)
Bloodroot
Blue Cohosh
Canada waterleaf
Chickweed  (I)
Cutleaf Toothwort
Dutchman's breeches
Dwarf Larkspur
Early Meadow-rue
Early Saxifrage
False Mermaid - Logo plant of the Flora of North America
Garlic Mustard  (I)
Ground ivy  (I)
Hairy bittercress  (I)
Hepatica
Indian-strawberry (I)
Leatherwood  (W)
Lyre-leaf rockcress
Mayapple
Miterwort
Nodding Star of Bethlehem  (I)
Pawpaw  (W)
Pennsylvania sedge
Purple Dead Nettle  (I)
Ragwort
Rue Anemone
Sessile Trillium
Serviceberry
Shooting Star
Smooth Rockcress
Speedwell  (I)
Spicebush  (W)
Spreading rockcress (?)
Spring Beauty
Squill (I) (near bridge)
Squirrel corn
Star chickweed
Sweet cicely
Trout lily
Tulip, Wild (I)  (near parking area under bridge)
Twinleaf
Violet
Virginia Bluebells
Virginia waterleaf
Wild columbine
Wild Ginger
Wild Stonecrop


Notes:

Lots of the spring wildflowers are referred to as Spring Ephemerals. Many, such as Bluebells, Spring Beauty, Squirrelcorn, Dutchman's Breeches and Rue anemone are truly ephemeral.  Others, though their flowers are quite fleeting, will still have leaves in evidence for much of the summer. These include Hepatica and Twinleaf.


Elaiosome: small structure attached to a seed; rich in lipids and proteins; attracts ants which then carry seed off to their nests and feed them to the larvae.  This type of seed dispersal is called myremecochory. Approximately 30% of spring ephemerals produce seeds with Elaiosomes.


Peltate leaves: when a leaf does not attach at its margin but rather on the lower surface of the leaf, often in the middle of the leaf (Mayapple, nasturtium) or sometimes just slightly in from the edge of the leaf (Canada moonseed)

Dioecious:  Spicebush is "dioecious" which means that there are distinct male and female individuals. Female flowers are small and yellow with six colored sepals and no petals. Male flowers have nine, reddish stamens. The flowers are clustered in groups of four to six. Pollination is by an array of small dipteran and hymenopteran species. 


Look on the Maryland Native Plant Society's YouTube page for a wonderful presentation by Carole Bergmann about Spring plants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwiP7De0g3w 

Article about the Northern White Cedars:
http://botsoc.org/Larry_Thuja_MD.pdf

Some good apps:

	 Seek (free and closely related to iNaturalist)

	 The Flora of Virginia ($20 but well worth it; has the contents of the whole Flora which weighs about 15 pounds.)

	 iNaturalist  (free)