Walking through the forest is such a joy at this time of the year with all kinds of ephemeral spring wildflowers popping up, including the Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Quaker Ladies (Houstonia caerulea), and Cutleaf Toothwart (Cardamine concatenata) that I spotted last Monday at Prince William Forest Park. Some of these flowers bloom for only a few days, so I am always thrilled when I am able to capture shots of them during that brief period.
I am definitely not an expert on wildflowers and welcome corrections if I have misidentified any of these species.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love springtime and all the beautiful spring flowers that appear! I love your close-up shots!
[…] Forest wildflowers […]
I’ll take your word for it, Mike. All I know is they are beautiful.
Thanks, Dan. These little wildflowers seem so much simpler than the kinds of flowers that I find in gardens, but are equally beautiful.
Lovely!
Thanks, Louella.
Wildflowers are so beautiful in their simplicity and even, at times, outshine the flowers found in cultivated gardens. Your lovely captures brought to mind these words : “A flower does not use words to announce its arrival; it just blooms.” – Matshona Dhilwayo. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
You always have the best quotes, Ellen. Thanks for sharing it–and I totally agree with your observation about wildflowers.
Beautiful macro shots Mike.
Thanks. My birding lens can’t capture detail like that. I tend to keep a macro lens on my camera most of the time during the warm months.
The blue ones are “Bluets.” Evidently they come in white, too. I have to ask “Why?” Just like why would Bleeding Hearts come in white. Guess I am a literalist at heart. I first found Bluets in the Smoky Mountains beside a stream. I fell in love.
Bluet is the more common name for Houstonia caerulea, but I was tickled to see they are also called Quaker ladies. I have gotten used to names not matching my subjects. When it comes to birds, the name refers to the color only of the male. So, for example, a female Red-winged Blackbird is not black and does not have red wings–she looks more like a large sparrow. 🙂
Stunning 3rd photo … stirs the urge to reach out and stroke those petals … you captured the texture beautifully! Native Plants of Texas web says these grow here, but maybe I’ve overlooked them staring down from above … you did your eye-level best in this shot!
Thanks, Jazz. Yeah, I went low again for the shot. It gives a nice perspective and often helps me to keep the background from getting too cluttered.
Beautiful.
Thanks, Tricia.
Great series of images Mike!
Thanks, Reed.
Nice shot of the bloodroot. It’s hard to get the veins in the petals in a photo but yours shows them beautifully. A little too much light and they wash right out.
Thanks. As O recall, I deliberately underexposed the shot to keep from blowing out the highlights. I have had a problem with that with the heads of bald eagles and the bodies of great egrets. All it takes is a little bit too much light and all of the details are gone and software is no help in recovering them.
Love those beautiful flowers💞
Thanks, Sanjana.
Spring ephemerals are so lovely… wonderful captures, Mike!
Thanks, Eliza.
Beautiful photos!
Thanks so much.
Lovely
Have you seen any Yellow Trout Lilies (Erythronium americanum)? I’ve seen a few blooming along Great Seneca Creek this week. The flowers are so delicate and rare… you mostly see the distinctive mottled leaves poking up from the forest floor, but very few flowers because they take up to seven years to bloom! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_americanum
I have not yet seen any Yellow Trout Lilies, but will keep an eye out for them. The park where I have been photographing forest wildflowers is about 25 miles away and so I don’t get there quite as often as I would like.