Small Beauties

Most of the time I go hiking, my eyes are focused ahead of me or I'm looking up into the trees. Years of leading long hikes have trained me to keep my eyes up, so I can notice what is around me. But this month, my eyes will be trained on the ground as I search for those small beauties, spring ephemeral wildflowers. They may only bloom for a week or two out of the whole year and I don't want to miss it!

Some of my favorite places to find wildflowers are Madame Sherri Memorial Forest in Chesterfield, NH, Plainfield Ledges, Claremont to Newport Railtrail, and Marshall Pond trailhead on County Lands.

I've observed bloodroot (pictured), hepatica, bell flower, trailing arbutus, red trillium, mayflower, wood anemone, thyme leaved bluets, spring beauty, painted trillium, dwarf ginseng, yellow, white, and beaked violets, viburnam, and serviceberry on these trails.

One of my favorite wildflowers books is Wildflowers of New England of the New England Wild Flower Society. It is organized by flower color.

So take a hike this May and look for those tiny beauties that brighten the forest floor and bring joy to the heart.