Hepatica

Look what I found blooming this morning in my wildflower patch!! This is Hepatica nobilis, closely related to the buttercups. It's common name is liverwort because of the shape of its leaves which have 3 lobes. It's one of my earliest blooming wildflowers, and frequently I miss it because I forget to look. These must have been blooming several days as one of them has already started shedding petals. Hepatica is said to come in shades of blue, but I have only ever seen the white.

My First blooming Wildflower

 

This is the first flower that blooms in my wildflower area. It is Hepatica. This is not a good picture as the flowers are so white they are washed out. But they are very white and bright against the fallen leaves. I took this picture about a week ago and it had been in bloom several days before I saw it, as evidenced by the fullness of it's bloom. These prefer shade and moist organic soil, and this one has been happy ever since it has lived in Gold Hill.