May Apples

Last year, T and I spent a day at the Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve and saw dozens of wildflowers.  None charmed me quite as much as the May apples.  They emerge from the soil in clumps grown from an underground root system.

All of these stems and leaves are actually from the same plant.

They are a lush green and, once the leaves unfurl, they grow very quickly.  They have a rather Dr. Seussical look, I think.

They grow in the shady woods and come Fall there is an apple-looking fruit sheltered under the leaves.  The "apple" is edible at that time, though around here the deer will have eaten them long before we humans get a chance.

I made these pictures of May apples in the woods by T's house.  They are cheerful sign of Spring and a reminder of all the surprises Mother Nature has in store for us.