Spring Ephemerals

It's spring, and that often means ephemerals:


Wild cucumber sprouting amidst jewel weed.


Eastern tiger swallowtail on skunk cabbage.


Wild geranium.



Bellwort of some kind (Uvularia grandifolia, I think)


Trillium with four petals.



Marsh marigolds.



Mom goose with gooselets.


Garlic mustard.

Whoa, wait. I hope some of you threw up a little in your mouth with that one. This plant is a particularly nasty invasive. Note how the ground is completely covered by this plant. All those diverse and lovely spring ephemerals - no place to sprout and get their own little slice of sunshine.


Learn to identify this plant. Volunteer your time to help remove it. Even from abandoned lots and urban areas, it can continue to thrive, sending out volunteers to continue crowding out native plants.


Sure, it's kinda pretty. It's even edible. But it is pure, concentrated evil (the garlic mustard in these photos were either removed after photographing, or are in an area that is undergoing treatment and large-scale removal).