Photo of the Week: Twinleaf, Spring Wildflower

Three white flowers on thin stems rise from a mass of deeply cut green leaves on the forest floor.

One of the first wildflowers to bloom in spring, Twinleaf is not a common flower for me to see in southeast Michigan.

I’m used to spotting Yellow Trout Lilies, Rue Anemone, and Great White Trilliums in the forest when I go birding in spring, before trees and shrubs leaf out.

They often blanket the forest floor, along with skunk cabbages, one of the first plants to emerge after a long Michigan winter.

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Photo of the Week: Native Wildflower, Plains Coreopsis

Brilliant yellow wildflowers with deep magenta centers against a mass of lancelike green leaves.

When I planted a packet of native wildflower seeds last year, I was pleasantly surprised by the range of flowers that bloomed throughout the summer and into the fall: blue and pink Bachelor’s Button, yellow-fringed orange-centered Gailliarda, and the white flowers of Sweet Allysum.

But one of my favorites is the long-flowering Plains Coreopsis.

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Photo of the Week: Trout Lily in Bloom

Yellow petals of the Trout Lily stand out against its brown mottled green leaves and brown leaf litter.

Spring has taken its time to arrive in Michigan, five days ago we had two inches of snow in our area!

Three days ago, I saw my first Trout Lily mottled brown green leaves sprouting through the leaf litter on the forest floor, but couldn’t find any blooms.

Today, with two days of 80 degree weather, I found plenty of yellow blooming Trout Lily in the forest.

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