Trout-Lily

This week has brought forth some lovely Spring beauties. Elinor, who was rarely if ever called Elinor, went by the name Pat, a nick-name her father gave her, found in the year 1942 about fifteen wild flowers by the end of this week in April. I have found about the same, though they are not all the same as the ones mentioned on Pat's list. I will list both lists so far at the end of this blog entry.
Trout-Lily or Adder's Tongue is one of the flowers on both our lists. This years flowers are quite small compared to some of the past years I have discovered them. I think it may be the dryness of this year. If you see a Trout-Lily flower and find it surrounded by many Trout-Lily leaves but not many flowers, what you are seeing is the younger sisters of the flowering plant. The first year one leaf is put forth and it gathers enough energy to store for next year in its underground bulb. The second year can produce a second leaf and these two leaves work together to produce enough food to be stored for the third year. The third or fourth year produces a flower. If you get a chance, click on the flower image and you will notice the reddish anthers. Look closely and you will see that a few of the anthers are shriveled and covered with pollen. Tomorrow the other anthers will shrivel revealing their pollen. This, they believed is so that a greedy bee can not make off with all the pollen. The second day gives this flower a better chance in the world of survival of the fittest.
1942
Bluets
Adder's Tongue (Trout Lily)
Mayflowers
White violet
Dandelion
Bloodroot
Five Finger
Purple Violet
Spring Beauties
Wind Flower
White Hepatica
Yellow Violet
Cow Slip
Sessile-leaved Bellwort
Wild Oats
2013
Birds Eye Speedwell
Chickweed
Colsfoot
Bloodroot
Trout Lily (Adder's Tongue)
Ground Ivy (Jill-O-the-Ground)
Wind Flower
Lesser Celandine
Marsh Marigold
Bluet
Wild Oats
Dandilion
Kidneyleaf Buttercup