violet — 2015 — The 21st Century Matriarch

Violets and rattlesnake fern have been ‘finds’ over the past few weeks. Violets were not new to me - I notice them when they bloom every spring. What I had not noticed previously was the seed pods that are produced afterward. This year they seem to be everywhere - or I am just recognizing them for what they are.

The rattlesnake fern is new to me. It is a very different kind of fern. I saw it first in the Patapsco Valley State Park near Belmont and then noticed many more plants at the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. I’ve added arrows to this picture ---- everywhere I noticed one there seemed to be other growing nearby! It looks different than many ferns in that the fronds come from a central stalk and

The spore producing frond is almost like a ‘flower’ above the leaves. I found myself wanting to photograph the variations of that spore producing frond!

Our backyard made up for the cold of March. At the beginning of the month - the maple was red with its tiny flowers and then developing samaras.

By the 19th the tulip poplar was turning green and red part of the maple was mostly gone.

The samaras were developing nicely.

The violets were blooming in the lawn

As were a few dandelions!

Yesterday I was late getting out for my photo and the sun was already in the top of the maple but the green shows through the crowd of yellowing samaras in the lower part of the tree; the samaras will mature and begin to fly away from the tree soon.