April spring bloom

I'm posting 4 photos of Canadian Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) that is still flound growing native in the woods of eastern North America; normally blooming in early April in the Mid-Atlantic. The first three shots show bloom in spring and the forth shows the summer foliage in June. This handsome woodland perennial flower does go dormant during the heat of summer in late July or August and disappears as that which happens to the Common Bleedingheart and to Virginia Bluebells and some others. The fifth photo is of Springbeauty bulbs, also native in the woods.

Thanks for posting the photos. I don't have any bloodroot in my woodland, but I have seen Springbeauty. Bloodroot is on my "to get" list for woodland natives, along with trillium, hepatica, and many others.

Rick, great photos! In addition to the Spring Beauties and Trout Lilies, do I also see May Apples in the last photo?

Yes! There are some emerging Mayapple with the Springbeauties.

I have never seen Canadian Bloodroot flowers. They look so pretty in the photos!

very nice, Rick, thanks for sharing

The bloodroot looks fantastic. I really love it, but mine doesn't flourish the way yours does. Bloodroot has such a clean pure look to it. What I really covet is the double bloodroot (multiplena or something like that), but given my indifferent track record with the common bloodroot, I don't dare shell out the bucks for a plant that I am sure to kill!

The bloodroot is very pretty!

Rickwebb, does Bloodroot colonize easily in cultivation? Does it grow readily from seed? I'd love to have a patch like the one you photographed....

Really beautiful. Ric liked them so much he ordered a few. LOL

The photos I took about 3 years ago, except for one are a wild colony in the open woods just within Delaware county, PA, about 20 miles from my house. I have a customer about ten miles away in West Chester where that person's Bloodroot, that was bought as a potted plant and planted, looks good in bloom right now in her yard near the east fence. A number of larger or native nurseries should carry it and placed in good quality soil, especially with a good humus content, it should do well in part shade or full light shade.

Any chance you recognize this single leaf? I found just a few in a mix of oak, beech, sweetgum, ...lots of ferns, a little Lycopodium in the general area...yesterday

Sally -- could it be that plant I gave you a couple years ago - Tinantia pringlei Mexican Speckled Wandering Jew? It is marginally hardy, so wouldn't be surprising if it mostly didn't make it -- I haven't seen any of mine yet.

Oh, I had forgotten mine too and hope it came back.
But this leaf was found in the middle of the woods about five miles away...

Maybe Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor)?
If this isn't a close-up I don't know what is: http://biochemicalsoul.com/images/naturewalk/walk1/cranefly1.jpg

Per Choukas-Bradley's "Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees", "its single basal leaf is produced in in the fall and dies back before the flowers appear". "Single basal leaf, 2-5" long, ovate-elliptic, petioled, shallowly folded like a fan and purplish beneath."

This message was edited Apr 23, 2014 9:25 PM

Wow Muddy, that looks like a match. I hope it is and I can see it bloom. Thanks!

I sure and looking forward to seeing the bloom.

It does seem Monocot to me as in the Lily or Orchid Families, so the flower parts should be some multiple of 3. I am thinking Adderstongue as a good possibility.

You're welcome, Sally! I hope it's a Cranefly Orchid (Orchis?); they're apparently fairly rare.

Does anyone know why some references say Orchis and others Orchid when they seem to be talking about the same plants?