Bloodroot in the rain, which did not deter old Pa Pitt from getting these pictures. They were taken along the Trillium Trail in Fox Chapel.
For a full description, see the Sanguinaria canadensis reference page.
-
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Photographed April 5. 
-
False Rue-Anemone (Enemion biternatum)
Photographed April 5. This species is not recorded in Pennsylvania in the usual sources. However, its range is discontinuous and spotty, and it is recorded in nearby sections of Ohio, as well as in the Virginia suburbs of Washington. At any rate, this colony along the Trillium Trail in Fox Chapel has been thriving for years.
For more pictures and more of a description, see the Enemion biternatum reference page.
-
Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Photographed April 5. One of our earliest woodland flowers, this plant earns its common name by decorating acres of forest. A close look at the flowers reveals bright pink stamens and pink veins on the petals.
For a more thorough description, see the Claytonia virginica reference page.
-
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Photographed April 5. Weird little flowers that pop out of the ground almost pre-bloomed, while the leaves are still forming themselves.
After a while, the plants start to lose their color and the leaves start to unfold, and the plants look more like ordinary denizens of the temperate woods.
For more pictures, see the Caulophyllum thalictroides reference page.
-
Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
Photographed October 31 with a Kodak EasyShare Z981. The brightly colored fruits are what you notice about Bittersweet. Two species of Celastrus, a native one (Celastrus scandens) and this invasive Asian import, are found wild in our area, but the invader has become much more common. It has rounder leaves than the native species, and the native bears its fruits in dangling clusters, whereas Oriental Bittersweet holds its fruits straight out from the stem. These vines were fruiting along the Montour Trail in Moon Township.
For a description of the species, see the Celastrus orbiculatus reference page.
