Into the woods again - April 4 and 5

There is no doubt or argument, woodland natives are my favorites. I absolutely adore the spring wildflowers that push out of the floor of the forest, through the rich humus of decayed leaves. After waiting through the winter, it is such a pleasure to see them again, like old friends that have been too long away.
So I will be visiting them at least weekly for a while, and reporting in and showing their progress. This helps me, too. Yesterday I decided to check one of my favorite nettles patches, and I am so glad because they were just perfect for tincture. Next week we will harvest some for food.
Today the walk started out near the shop, where the catnip is looking very healthy and vibrant. On down past the pond and the beautiful old gazebo, dressed for spring....

A lot of what I see is just a tease for next week. Geranium leaves are everywhere. Next week there will be beautiful hot pink and magenta blossoms. They are also called cranesbill. Note the splotchy leaf at the bottom of the picture on the left. That is trout lily, and the entire woods is now carpeted with them. Most of these things were nowhere to be found last week.

The first Spring Beauty blossom. As the walk progressed there were perhaps 10 more. In a few days there will be millions of them.

The Dutchman's Breeches are in bloom. I am tickled to death. The little bits of plants we put in 2 or 3 years ago have taken and spread. They will cover that side of the hill soon.

I don't know what this might become. Its location makes me think perhaps False Solomon's Seal, but another few days will tell for sure. It is such a graceful shoot.

A trillium gets ready to unfurl.

The ramps are taking off. There are 3 healthy patches of them.

The Yahoo! group is talking about dandelion right now, so I took a picture of the first blooming plant I've seen this year.

The bloodroot has begun opening all over the place - on the flat land, on the banks and up the hill.

That was this weekend's hikes. I've been trying to go visit each day to capture each stage of the woods and to get my walking legs back. There is no time as wondrous as spring.