wild about spring wildflowers

Is there anything more delicate and glorious than spring wildflowers? It's been such a pleasure to observe the small changes in the forest each week. Some flowers last a week, some less than a week, some more. I keep wishing they could all be there at the same time - but then I might miss each one's beauty.

We've identified some of these flowers as the weeks have passed - but not all. So if you know, please do tell! Can you find my favourite in this bunch - the jack-in-the-pulpit?

After jack-in-the-pulpit, these are my second favourite: dogtooth violets. Some people call them trout lilies. They are so delicate and lovely - but only last for about a week.

And this one comes in third place for me this year: bloodroot. Although I do not love the name. In April, it was one of the first flowers to pop up in the woodlands where we learn and play. 

I love how the green leaf wraps around the stem like a little spring jacket. So cute. And that white flower looks like a birthday candle before it opens up. 

At home this spring, we've been reading the novel Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen. Do you know when things in your life match up with things that you are reading? Well, that has happened with this book. As we've seen these wildflowers appear, we've read chapters where they were mentioned - so cool! In the book, they called bloodroot flowers "Easter candles" because they bloom around Easter and look like candles all lit up, and only last for a little while. Many other spring flowers were mentioned too, and at each one, my daughters sat wide-eyed in surprise that they could relate to them.

Here are some more bloodroot, opened to the sun: