English Ivy Invasion

This is Happy Hollow Park. The park flora is threatened by what is planted on the land just outside the park boundaries. Sometimes the plants people put in their yards spread to the woods. Here English ivy is taking over space once occupied by the native plants. In the right side of the picture, some bloodroot remains, but for how long? Picture taken April 3, 2009. Wintercreeper is spreading in the park the same way English ivy is.

Link to English ivy (Hedera helix)

Link to bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Link to wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei)

Waterleaf

This is waterleaf (Hydrophyllum). The distinctive waterspots on the leaves will disappear later before it flowers.

This is in Happy Hollow Park along the main trail. Picture taken April 3, 2009.

link to Hydrophyllum

link to early Hydrophyllum leaves:

Trout-lily

This is trout-lily (Erythronium albidum). This is in Happy Hollow Park along the main trail. Picture taken April 3, 2009.

link to Erythronium albidum

another link to Erythronium albidum

Toothwort

This is toothwort. The current botanical name is Cardamine concatenata. Until recently called Dentaria laciniata, but it seems this plant belongs in the group with the other cardamines. It's just starting to flower here. It's a common plant of the Indiana woodlands. It's another of the many plants of the crucifer family. Picture taken along the main trail in Happy Hollow Park, April 3, 2009.

link to Cardamine concatenata

another link to Cardamine concatenata

Wild Geraniums

This is Geranium maculatum, the wild geranium that is common in Indiana woodlands. The leaves are up but it has not started flowering yet.

Happy Hollow Park along the main trail, April 3, 2009.

link to Geranium maculatum

another link to Geranium maculatum

Mayapple

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) is just starting to poke up out of the ground. This is in Happy Hollow Park along the main trail. Picture taken April 3, 2009.

link to mayapple

The morel mushrooms come out when mayapple leaves open into umbrellas and lilacs start blooming.

Waterfall

This is in Happy Hollow Park, April 3, 2009.  The park has a rather severe erosion problem, these structures called gabions are built to try to keep the whole park from washing away.  

link to gabion