Behold the Bloodroot Colony

Today, hiking a portion of the Rachel Carson  Trail, we were not sure what sorts of wildflowers we would see. We found many native plants including Spring Beauties, the beginnings of May Apple umbrellas, Trillium buds, and Dog Tooth Violets (Trout Lilies).

Descending into a creek bottom, hemlocks and other native trees encouraged us to walk further. We were surprised and disappointed to see so many invasive species. It is hard to imagine why so many of these invasives have gone unnoticed and untreated (uprooted) in an area celebrating conservation and nature.

Thankfully we soon found three native Bloodroot plants in full bloom. Following the trail, we walked through thickets of weeds and come to railway.
As we were about to turn around, and then we saw this!

A hillside coated in a Bloodroot Colony

Bloodroot bloom

Bloodroots