Design

It's spring wildflower time in the Eastern U.S. In our (relatively undisturbed) woodlands (rich cove forests, acidic cove forests, oak-hickory forests, alluvial forests, and others), spring empherals are striking this time of year from late February through May. It's a peak time in the Woodland Wildflower Garden (at the South Carolina Botanical Garden, where I work).  It's a lovely tapestry of Trillium spp., Hexastylis spp. (wild ginger), Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple), foam flower ( Tiarella cordifolia ), a variety of ferns, and Atamasco lily. Cinnamon fern ( Osmunda cinnamomea)

My gardening companion caught a shot of a rabbit eating a fern recently. This is a quite unusual sighting; rabbits would normally eat more tender shoots. But, this one was nibbling vigorously on a fern frond!