Signs of spring begin appearing in late winter. A trio of wildflowers - Spring Beauty, Bluets and Violets - scatter color across lawns, along roadsides, in fields and woodlands.
Spring Beauty, Claytoria virginica, is a tiny flower, growing in colonies, that paint a wash of white against a predominately brown landscape. Closer inspection reveals a white or pinkish flower veined with rose or red. Pull up a single plant and notice the deeply set bulb from which it grows. Spring Beauty will disappear soon from the lawn, eliminating any need to mow it down.
Bluets, Hedyotis crassifolia, are sometimes called star-violets. Often found growing in poor, sandy soil, the plants, once established, may carpet the area with violet-blue, despite the petite size of the individual flower.
Violets are easily identified, but not the many varieties. Look for the Viola rafinesquii, commonly called field-pansy, to bloom about the same time as spring beauty and the bluets. Deep violet to light lavender, it appears abundantly in shaded areas.
Wildflower preservation insures the return of beauty year after year, without intensive cultivation.
Linda Brumitt, Smith County Master Gardener
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