What's in bloom?

The seasons bring constant change. In late spring, the woodland floor unveils spring beauties, bloodroot, and blankets of mayapples, as well as skunk cabbage, which dominate the banks of streams, and blooming dogwood and native azaleas. As the forest canopy creates deep shade, the spring woodland ephemerals disappear. Goldenrod dominates the meadows in the late summer, and as it fades in the fall, native broomsedge, switchgrass, and Indian grass turn gold and amber. Winter’s cool, short days strip the forest leaves and clear a view through the woods to reveal the ironwood’s muscular trunk, the sycamore’s peeling bark, and the beech’s spreading architecture.