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Went and walked my hillside for the first time this season. The trout lilies have their delicate little flowers and so does the hepatica. Trilliums are up and have some buds. Cut leaf toothwort is sprouted and a few have buds. Lots of little ferny leaves of the squirrel corn. Virginia bluebells are up and there are a few little buds hidden inside the leaf clumps. Lots of woods poppy sprouted, but no buds yet.

I couldn't find the spring beauty which should be at least showing by now. I wonder if this winter was too hard on it.

My witch hazel which has been doing really well for five years or so, looks dead, with lots of last years dead leaves still hanging on it. They are supposed to bloom by now and this is not showing any signs of life. But I broke off a twig and it is still definitely green and flexible, so I am hopeful.

Spice bush is leafing out. The buckeyes have their beautiful buds on them that look like flower buds, but open up to be leaves. One of the oak trees is leafing out and one isn't, but they are different varieties.

Spring wildflower season is here!

Try to get some pics today.

Jealous - just how much property do you have? Sounds like acres. Envy you with my little 1/4 acre subdivision lot.

Nope, no acres. 1/3 acre city lot. It's just a very long, narrow, skinny 1/3 of an acre, the back half of which is a steep wooded hillside. I don't have time right now, but I will post a few pix.

Here's some pics of the hillside:



















The pictures are from a few years ago, so the trees are bigger now and stuff is more filled in.

All the paths and retaining walls I built with my own two hands. When we bought the house there was nothing back there but a jungle of honeysuckle, ivy, poison ivy, and TRASH...

PS pictures enlarge and show up much better if you click on them....

Wow! You've done a beautiful job restoring your hillside RBG! I had to google "spring beauty" because I'm not familiar with it but recognized it as a wildflower from the woods that I've been trying to ID, so thank for the ID! I first noticed it blooming down in VA a few weeks ago with a lot of duchmans breeches, but noticed it blooming here in MD on a hike this past weekend. I'm sorry that yours haven't come up... I hope they're just taking their time! You're a zone behind me so maybe they're slow to emerge this cold spring?

You've convinced me to get some woods poppy for my bird memorial site. Yours are just gorgeous!

Beautiful!!

If life gives you lemons ... Most people would not think of a long, very steep, rocky, trashy, wooded hillside as much of an asset to their property. I'm making mine beautiful!

It's only still there because it was too steep to build on.