A purple so vivid...

Our little clump of purple burst open this week. Much anticipated, it grows at the bottom of the driveway near the street. Its vibrant color is so cheerful and happy, a color I had forgotten existed....

Long live the beautiful bright vivid reviving happy 

purply purple crocuses of spring! 

(Goodbye, winter!)

Spring's beauties...

It was cool this afternoon at 46 degrees, but it was sunny, and you could feel the shift of winter to spring in the warmth of its rays, so I headed over to the Little Miami River to see if any wildflowers were blooming. I knew I wouldn't be able to walk very long, but I wanted to see some of spring's beauties...

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Spring Beauties are one of the first ephemerals to bloom along the Little Miami River.

When identifying Spring Beauties, look for five stamens with pink anthers and long thin leaves. The stem is often reddish and the petals have beautiful pink striations.  

Golden-crowned Kinglet...another one of spring's beauties (...although we have Golden-crowned Kinglets in our woods all winter, they look especially sweet in spring).

The emergence of spring in the foothills of Appalachia...

It was chilly Saturday morning and threatening rain, so before leaving for Adams Lake State Park, I stopped in the Shawnee Lodge gift shop and bought a wool hat for the morning part of the trip. It didn't seem like spring, but it was...

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) pushes through decaying leaf litter leaving winter's brown behind and defining spring green.

...this curled brown leaf seems to be clawing at the tiny Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), fancifully representing winter's attempt to hold back the emergence of spring (winter seems to be losing...thank goodness).

The green and white stripes of a Puttyroot Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) leaf appear rough and weathered. The leaf sprouted in fall, lived through the winter, and is now starting to die back. Soon a bloom will push through...spring is here!

Trillium, green and lush, lays its leaves flat over crispy, dead leaves, trying to hide any memory of winter. If you look carefully, you can see the bare trees of winter reflected in a pool of water in the upper left half of the top leaf. You can also see me leaning in to take the photo...I didn't plan that...just noticed winter is trying to show its face any way it can! :-)

Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) emerges with an electric glow from winter's clutch. (I'm not sure about the ID of this one...is it pink Rue Anemone?)

...a spent Hepatica petal reminds us that spring and the spring ephemerals pass quickly and summer isn't far behind....

This little wildflower hunt I went on has a name--it's called The Annual Adams County Ohio Lilliputian Mustard Expedition! Jim McCormac (of Ohio Birds and Biodiversity) created and led this expedition and has posted the details on his blog (click here). I'll write more about the trip in the coming days, but head to Jim's blog to read about the details now. Why Lilliputian? Because the mustard plants are tiny! I never knew such tiny gems existed. I'm so glad I went on the trip and was introduced to a whole new world. I'll have a few shots of the tiny mustards in the days ahead... Thanks, Jim!!