The Bloodroot, Hepatica and Toothwort were three that I had to refer to the wildflower books to identify.
The Bloodroot was only found in one location and if it weren't for the sharp eye of my friend Jack, I wouldn't have seen them. We first found them early before the sun had reached them and their blooms were closed. An hour or so later revealed the sun had finally peaked over the mountain enough to warm them up and they were fully open. An impressive white flower glistening in the sunshine.
The Hepatica has so many different color phases that it can be difficult to ID. This particular species is the Round-Lobed variety which is easy to distinguish because of the rounded tips of the leaf. I think the bright blue color phase is most attractive, however the pale purple growing from the rock runs a close second. It was plentiful in the creek beds and along steep slopes in the valley.
The Toothwort was the most common of the three, easily found with many choices for photographing them.
The Dutchman's Breeches were scattered all along a steep bank with a spring nearby. It seems they like the moist, but well drained conditions. There were just a few plants that had bloomed, but within the next week or so that location should explode with the neat little blooms. I hope to make another trip into that area for more pictures of hopefully a better specimen.
It was an interesting and productive trip although the conditions for photography were difficult with the gusty, high winds and bluebird skies. I'm looking forward to the next trip to the mountains of Newton County and seeing what has sprouted and bloomed.
