
Well, we’ve had an April snowstorm here in New Hampshire that dropped as much as 8 inches of heavy wet snow in the higher elevations. In lower spots like Keene it hardly amounted to more than a dusting but still, I’m glad I was able to see the bloodroots (Sanguinaria canadensis) in bloom before the snow fell. These flowers are fragile and I doubt they would have made it through the storm. They’re very beautiful and I’m glad I got to see them.

I’m happy to report that they’re spreading, so I expect I’ll be able to see them here in this all but hidden spot for years to come. You can see the flower to the left of center had already started dropping petals even though the plants had just started blooming.

This photo from Wikipedia shows how the plant comes by its common name. Bloodroot is in the poppy family and is toxic, but Native Americans used the plant medicinally and also used the red sap in its roots to decorate their horses.

Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) are up and adding their cheeriness to our spring days. They are a long blooming plant so will most likely do the same for our summer days as well. What looks like a four petaled flower is actually a single, tubular, four lobed “petal.” They’re very pretty little things and I was happy to see them blooming again.

The lime green, sticky pistils of female box elder flowers (Acer negundo) appear along with the tree’s leaves, but they come a few days to a week after the male flowers have fully opened. Box elders have male flowers on one tree and female flowers on another, unlike red maples which can have both on one tree. This shot is of the female flowers as they had just appeared. They’re a very pretty color.

Here’s a closer look at those box elder flowers. I think they’re one of the prettiest of the early spring tree blossoms.

Fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis) is one of our earliest blooming shrubs and one that not many people see unless they walk old roads in early spring. Its unusual flowers are joined in pairs and if pollinated they become small, red orange, oval, pointed end berries that are also joined in pairs. They are so early I’ve seen them blooming in a snowstorm in the past.

At a glance you might mistake leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) for a blueberry but this plant will grow in standing water and blooms much earlier, with smaller flowers. The plant gets its common name from its tough, leathery leaves, which are lighter and scaly on their undersides. Florists use sprays of leatherleaf leaves as filler in bouquets. The flower type must be very successful because it is used by many other plants, from blueberries to heather. Native Americans used the plant medicinally to reduce inflammation and to treat fevers, headaches and sprains.

Willows are still blooming and I’m always happy to see them.

Sedges are beginning to bloom and one of the earliest is plantain leaved sedge (Carex plantaginea). The flower stalks (Culms) are about 4 inches tall and have creamy yellow male (staminate) flowers at the tip of the stems.

Female plantain leaved sedge flowers appear lower down on the stem and are white and wispy.

Field horsetails (Equisetum arvense) appeared almost overnight.

The fertile spore bearing stem of a field horsetail ends in a light brown cone shaped structure called a strobilus. Since it doesn’t photosynthesize at this point in its development the plant has no need for chlorophyll so most of it is a pale whitish color. When it’s ready to release spores the cone opens to reveal tiny, mushroom shaped sporangiophores. The whitish ruffles at the base of each brown sporangiophore are the spore producing sporangia. At this stage one little tap and what looks like clouds of pollen float off them but the “pollen” is actually a cloud of microscopic spores. Once the spores have been released the fertile strobilus will die and the infertile green, photosynthesizing stems pf the plant will appear.

The day after the snowstorm I walked and walked looking for violets but every one I saw was closed up due to the cloudy, cool weather. Every one but this one, that is. It had enough spunk to open. Maybe it was hoping a bee that didn’t mind the weather would come along. I’ve read that violet roots and leaves were used medicinally by some Native American tribes. They also used the flowers to make blue dye.

The otherworldly looking flowers of Norway maple have appeared. The flower clusters of Norway maples are large and appear before the leaves so they can be seen from quite a distance. Though invasive the trees were once used extensively as landscape specimens and you can find them all over this town. Unfortunately the tree has escaped into the forests and in places is crowding out sugar and other maples. Norway maple is recognized as an invasive species in at least 20 states and it’s against the law to sell or plant them in New Hampshire.

Ornamental cherries started blooming before the snowstorm and I was afraid that it might have killed off every blossom but no, here they were the day after the snow. In fact there was snow still on the ground under them when I took this photo. I think people who don’t see a lot of snow probably don’t realize that snow can fall even when the temperature at ground level is above freezing. In other words these and other flowers survived because it was warm enough where they were, even with snow falling. Snow that falls in such conditions is very wet and heavy and usually melts quickly. “White rain” is a good way to describe it.

They’re very pretty flowers and I was happy that they didn’t suffer. Not a single blossom was damaged that I could see.

Most of the magnolia blossoms and buds made it through the storm as well. I like the color of the buds on this one.

But the flowers don’t seem to have any real shape and it looks as if they more or less just fall open in a haphazard way. Something doesn’t need symmetry to be beautiful though, and I do like the contrast between the inside and outside of the petals.

The Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophyllas) has come into full bloom. At least I think so; I just met this plant last year so I’m not that familiar with its growth habits.

Purple flowered PJM rhododendrons usually bloom at about the same time as forsythia but they’re a little late this year. The PJM in the name is for Peter J. Mezitt who developed the plant and also founded Weston Nurseries in Weston, Massachusetts. They are also called little leaf rhododendron. They are well liked here and have become almost as common as forsythia.

Speaking of Forsythias, they made it through the storm just fine. They’re blooming as well as I’ve ever seen them this year.

I saw this scene the day after the storm. Most of the spring flowering bulbs came through unscathed.

These tulips made me smile.

The only plants I saw that had suffered from the snow were the hyacinths and they suffered from the weight rather than the cold. Even bent double with their faces in the mud they were still very beautiful.

I know, these aren’t flowers, but they’re so beautiful I had to sneak them in because this beauty is fleeting. The furry seeds (samaras) of the silver maple appear quickly and are furry for just a day or two, so I had to check on them several times to get this photo. I hope you like seeing them as much as I do.
He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth is generally considered a fortunate person, but his good fortune is small compared to that of the happy mortal who enters this world with a passion for flowers in his soul. ~Celia Thaxter
Thanks for coming by.
I enjoyed this virtual walk through spring in New Hampshire! The flowers, new leaves, seeds and buds are beautiful!
The weather and bloom cycles are equally strange out here, and I wonder what we will actually get for fruit this year.
Thank you Lavinia. I hope you’ll get plenty of fruit!
Everything here seems to be earlier and more robust than usual. Spring comes earlier and winter comes later these days.
We had one good soaking rain yesterday, but today’s rain did not come through, yet. It is way too dry too soon here.
It’s about the same here. We’re still in a drought.
Beautiful color and definitely strange weather we are having. Love the quote. 🙂
Thank you Judy. Yes, I’m back to carrying 3 coats in the car because I never know how warm or cold it will be. Today was cold!
It was good to see that the cherrry blossom survived the snow. Ours has been dealt a blow by the repeated frosts so it was good to see a lovely show in your post.
I was happy to see them too. They’ve been badly damaged by frost before and last night it dropped into the 20s F. so they probably got hit again. I hope not.
I started following your blog about 6 months ago, and am really enjoying it!
I am attaching a photo and hoping you might be able to identify this plant. I would describe it as a shrub or small tree, and it is growing in a cluvert that has running water during the spring.
Thanks,
I’d be happy to take a look at your plant Cathy but WordPress doesn’t allow photo attachments. The way it works is you have to use the “Contact me” page and then I’ll send you an email from there. Convoluted I know but that’s the way they do it.
Once again, thank you so much for all this beauty and knowledge. Christy
On Wed, Apr 21, 2021, 3:56 AM New Hampshire Garden Solutions wrote:
> New Hampshire Garden Solutions posted: ” Well, we’ve had an April > snowstorm here in New Hampshire that dropped as much as 8 inches of heavy > wet snow in the higher elevations. In lower spots like Keene it hardly > amounted to more than a dusting but still, I’m glad I was able to see the > bloodr” >
You’re welcome Christy. I’m not sure about the knowledge but I know I can’t take credit for the beauty. That’s all nature’s doing.
THANK YOU for “both posts” of April Flowers .. delightful to view and informative as well. Each season has an offering to present.
You’re welcome Krys. I agree!
“Earth laughs in flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson …………so says my teabag 🙂
And those flowers make me laugh. Or at least smile. I’m going to have to drink more tea!
Thank you!
Such a pretty group of Bloodroot, the bluets are something I don’t see much of, I remember seeing them just once or twice. The Silver Maple samaras are so beautiful and different, I’ve never seen those! Tulips we have, lots of tulips in Holland Michigan, they are so elegant.
It is snowing lightly here this morning and only in the low 30’s. I’m hoping the spring wildflowers are going to be around just a bit longer.
Me too Chris! We had a hailstorm on my way home this afternoon so I don’t know what I’ll see when I go back out.
I hope you warm up. Your weather is usually our weather!
It was snowing with sunshine at the same time here today. It was freezing overnight but warmed up to the high 40’s! I was out in a swamp alone for two hours and it was beautiful! We are suppose to have one more cold night then warmer weather.
I like swamps too!
We’re supposed to be cold tomorrow in the mid 40s, so that’ll probably be your leftovers. I’m glad you’re supposed to warm up! Hard to believe it was in the 70s just a short time ago.
Those gleaming white bloodroots are wonderful, too bad they are so short-lived.
I agree. We had hail today so I’m guessing their lives were even shorter than usual.
Thank you again for a wonderful trip. You had my favorite spring flower, the bluets, and one I had never noticed before, the samaras of the silver maple. Those are amazing and how many hundreds of silver maples have I walked by never “seeing” them. You can laugh because in the first instant of seeing the picture my thought was,” a cluster of fuzzy moths?”
You’re welcome, and thank you. It took me a long time to identify which tree those samaras belonged to so I’m very happy to hear that you like them. At first I thought they were red maple but nope, they’re silver maple. They do look a bit like fuzzy moths and I did laugh, so thank you!
All those lovely spring bloomers do refresh the winter weary spirits. Thanks for the smile, Allen. The bluets and the bloodroot are both so dainty looking. Thanks for finding all these beauties and sharing.
You’re welcome Ginny. We had a thunderstorm with hail on my way home from work so there’s no telling what shape the flowers will be in next time I go out. Flowers like bloodroot have probably had it.
My neighbour has been worrying that the snow will damage his magnolia flower buds. Glad to hear the ones in your post survived. Maybe his will too. Bloodroot: such a pretty and welcome flower.
I hope you are well. I haven’t been blogging much lately. A hectic time. Glad to read your post.
If it is warm at ground level when it snows the magnolia should be okay. It’s really the cold more than the snow that damages them.
Everything is fine here. If you like hectic, that means life is going well for you. I hope so, anyhow!
I don’t like hectic but I take responsibility for it and some of it is also good. Glad to hear about magnolia- thank you.
The bloodroot is blooming here in Peterborough, too, and I always love seeing it. I grew up in upstate NY and it grew everywhere there. After I moved away for college, I never saw it again until we moved to Peterborough. The first spring after we bought our house in ’08 I was delighted to see a few bloodroot at the feet of our forsythia. I’ve just let them do their thing and they seem to have a healthy foothold now. They just seem so special to me.
Interesting. I’ve heard that there is a lot of limestone in New York and I wonder if bloodroot prefers more lime in the soil.
When I worked as a gardener in Peterborough one house on Pine Street had some bloodroot but that was the only time I saw it there, so maybe yours is indeed special. I’m glad to hear that they like it there!
The prior owner of our home ran the state’s largest blueberry packaging operation out of the back yard (but not a blueberry bush on the property). He traveled the U.S. and Canada speaking as an arborist and left behind a few plants that aren’t commonly seen in this area. We even have a cork tree.
That’s interesting! I don’t think I ever heard of anyone having a cork tree when I worked over there. I’m sure that would have been the talk of the town!
Wonderful colour in todays post, I loved those little bluets too. Fancy such a lot of snow in mid April.
Thank you Susan, it’s a colorful month but we do get snow in April and rarely even in May.