Juxtaposition: Too Early Spring

Bloodroot, Barking Slopes, 25 March 2012 (photo by Kate St. John)

26 March 2012

Yesterday I hiked at Barking Slopes to see what was blooming after 11 days of June-like weather.

So many flowers had opened that the ground was carpeted with them. Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis), Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) and Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) were all at their peak.

So were Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis, above) that normally blooms in late March and Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum, below) that normally blooms in late April.

It was an odd juxtaposition of two flowers that never bloom at the same time.

Large-flowered Trillium in bloom, Barking Slopes, 25 March 2012 (photo by Kate St. John)

Tonight we’ll have a killing frost. The March flowers may be able to cope but I doubt the April flowers will survive.

(photos by Kate St. John)

4 thoughts on “Juxtaposition: Too Early Spring

  1. I put a link on “Barking Slopes” in the blog. I actually go down to the Allegheny River and look up at the slopes from below. I drive to the village of Barking (in Plum Boro) and walk the gravel road to Lock & Dam #3.

  2. I am really worried about all my just ready to bloom trees, shrubs and plants…bloodroot is actually done already since it was so hot….Dogwood and serviceberries are 1/2 way out, so they will probably be hurt by the freeze..my two favorite trees for berries and bloom…
    Hope it’s cloudy and foggy…

  3. Wow, I never knew that that area was public land. I used to work right across the river (next to the gross coal power plant). And we used to take a boat down to the large concrete pylons in the river and jump off of them.

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