specimen: Narcissus pseudonarcissus

Wild Daffodil

(Narcissus pseudonarcissus)

We've been wandering around in the woods alot lately...hunting for morels. We have so many pictures to share with you! First off, as I already mentioned in the last post, we had daffodils everywhere here. They have finished for the season, as is the Coltsfoot, but we were fortunate enough to have them along the edge of the road during their season. It ended up that we had two different kinds...

a trumpet.

and a double.

Family:  Amaryllidaceae

Non-native. Blooms in Spring. Found here in woods and grassland. Also know as Lent Lily.

Some yards we pass on the way into town were lucky enough to be filled during the early Spring. And while wandering through the woods you could also find patches here and there...usually near old foundations. Daffodils are not even from the states. It really makes you wonder how long ago these were planted and by whom.

specimen: Tussilago farfara

Coltsfoot

(Tussilago farfara)

 ugh...invasive species. Patches of Coltsfoot accompany the Daffodil as the first blooms of Spring here. After a little research I found that the pappus (silky hairs) of the seed head are often used by goldfinches to line their nests. We spotted a female goldfinch at the bird feeder this past week. =)

Family: Aster Family (Asteraceae), Composite Family (Compositae)

Similar species:
• Sweet Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus) - Has white flowers, different leaves.
• Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) - Leaves are different.

Non-native, invasive species. Blooms in Spring. Found here along the road, in gravely areas. Used in Europe for medicinal purposes.

image source: http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/coltsf88.html