Depending on the year and latitude, some early spring plants bloom in late February - March. The first photo shows catkins of the Hazel Alder, a large shrub of wetlands in the eastern US. The second shows catkins of the American Hazelnut or Filbert shrub that also is in the Birch Family. The third shows the low flowers of the Alleghany Pachysandra, Pachysandra procumbens, that is native to the Appalachian Region, that is not so evergreen as the popular Japanese species. The forth shows Sharplobe Heptatica in bloom in March 2010 and the fifth shows the similar Rue Anemone also in bloom in the woods about the same time.
