Wildflower season has officially returned to our area. I was out at my family’s prairie last weekend and found pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta), buffalo pea (Astragalus crassicarpus), and sun sedge (Carex heliophila) in bloom. Here in my yard, both the pussytoes and Carolina anemone (Anemone carolinianum) are blooming, along with the little blue-flowered weedy speedwell (Veronica persica) that always pops up around our garden and sidewalk edges. A few bees are moving around too, and there have been several kinds of flies visiting the pussytoes flowers. Here are a few photos of early spring flowers from this week.
Pussytoes have both male and female flowers. These are female flowers at the Helzer family prairie.
This fly is feeding on the pollen of a female pussytoes flower in our family prairie.
Although speedwell isn’t a native wildflower, I enjoy seeing it every year. It’s often the first flower I see each spring, and always makes me happy.
I don’t know what plant this will grow into, but it was germinating at our family prairie last weekend.
Carolina anemone can be hard to find in large prairies because the showy little flowers aren’t tall enough to be seen from afar. This one is in my prairie garden, making it really easy to find.
