Spring Beauty, for the botanists among us, Sanguinaria canadensis.
Photo by Betsy Washington, NN VNPS member

A spur of the moment Field Visit to a large and now flowering colony of the perennial Bloodroot will take place tomorrow, Thursday March 22.  It will be a short walk on private property at the invitation of the property owner.

When:  Thursday, March 22 at 1:45
Where: See email or call Kevin

Bloodroot is an early bloomer and forms beautiful colonies mostly in moist woods.  The flowers pop up before the leaves have fully opened.  Found throughout the eastern US and in every county in Virginia, the flowers are the indicator of spring and warmer weather coming.  But the flowers are short lived so now is the time to see them.

Bloodroot is quite interesting – they produce pollen, of course, but no nectar yet are visited by a variety of pollinators searching in vain for any source of nectar at this early time of year.  The seeds are spread by ants (called myrmecochory), the roots produce a red-orange dye and has some medical uses even though it is poisonous.  Join us to see these beauties and to learn more.