BLUE RIDGE WILDFLOWERS

Monday, March 12, 2012

Late Winter 2012

It is late Winter 2012 and the start of the wildflower season. Usually the Purple Crocus in my lawn gives me a "heads up" of the start of a new blooming season. Not long after the Purple Crocus makes the bold announcement, the Kaufmann's Tulips start to bloom. They did not bloom last year, at least not that I saw, but they are making their presence known this year. I have more blooms than I have ever had from this mystery visitor to my gardens. I usually have some Bloodroot blooming in the wildflower garden by this time of year, but my guess is that they were killed by the stomping boots of the Tree Cutting Service that was cutting down the neighbors trees. They marched through my wildflower garden without even asking, and then wondered why I was upset over a bunch of weeds. I am guessing I will have to start over again. Here are some images from my yard and the Mill Mountain Wildflower Garden.

Periwinkle (Vinca minor)

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Primrose (Pimula vulgaris).

Lentin (Helleborus orientalis)

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris).

Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis).

Kaufmann's Tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana) - Size Small

Kaufmann's Tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana) - Size Medium

Kaufmann's Tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana) - Size Large

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The First Week in May 2011

Here are some images from the first week in May, 2011. Most all of these images where taken on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Roanoke County and Floyd County.

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)

Elf Orpine - (Diamorpha smalii) - These flowers are extremely tiny. The entire image would fit on my fingernail.

Corn Speedwell (Veronica arvensis)

OxEye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

Live Forever (Sedum purpureum)

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) - Above and below are the same flower shot different ways. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know which you like better

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

Images from April 2011

Here are a few images from April 2011. I shot quite a few images last year, but failed to post them. I am not sure of the reason, but I am sure time available probably had a bit to do with it. That is no excuse, but now I have a lazy, snowy Sunday at my disposal, I felt now would be as good a time as ever to catch up.

Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum).

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum)

Cut-Leaved Geranium (Geranium dissectum)

Der Ladybug..... Gute, Ja?

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy Holidays from Blue Ridge Wildflowers

Happy Holidays to one and all from BlueRidgeWildflowers.com

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Wildflowers from All Over the area.

This was a day that I traveled around a bit, photographing as I went. These wildflower images are from Franklin County, Floyd County, and Roanoke County. Spring has sprung with a few days of very warm temperatures and quite a bit of rain. It shows with the density of wildflowers, even though it seems that people seem intent on destroying more and more of their natural habitat. Come on, people. How many subdivisions do you really need?

Fire Pink (Silene virginica)

Indian Strawberry (Duchesnea indica)

Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

Yellow Rose of Texas (Hybrid of Rosa foetida).

Money Plant (Lunaria annua)

Unknown. Assistance would be appreciated.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Showing Signs of Life for 2011

My personal wildflower garden has been a bit dormant since the Bloodroot bloomed earlier in the season. However, the wildflowers are starting to shake off their slumber and bursting into bloom. Appearing for the first time this year is a Jack-in-the-Pulpit that I planted several years ago. I was not sure it would take, since the soil in my garden is a bit drier than they usually like, but it came up this year.

White Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata).

Dutchman's Trousers.(Dicentra spectabilis)

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) before it blooms.

Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)

More of the Mutants from Grandiflorum

The mutants of Grandiflorum had more numbers than I originally thought. On second inspection of the area, I found several more blooms that I had not photographed the day before. Here are those images, along with a few more blooms that I photographed again. These are amazing flowers.