Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Friday - September 30, 2011
From: Weedville, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Herbs/Forbs, Wildflowers
Title: Early spring wildflowers of Pennsylvania
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
What native wildflower is the first to bloom in Weedville, Pa? (Jay township, Elk county) I am working on a research paper for my Environmental Problems class, and this would be very helpful. Thank you.ANSWER:
This question was recently answered for another Pennsylvania enquirer. The answer is reproduced below.
Below is a list of early spring wildflowers found in western Pennsylvania. The two earliest would be those blooming in February:
Erigenia bulbosa (harbinger of spring) and Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
The remainder of the flowers on the list begin blooming in March. I don't know that I could put them in "spring appearance" order, since there can be variation from one microclimate to another, but I do think I could put Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) near the beginning of the list.
Erythronium americanum (dogtooth violet)
Epigaea repens (trailing arbutus)
Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)
Ranunculus fascicularis (early buttercup)
Stylophorum diphyllum (celandine poppy)
Cardamine douglassii (limestone bittercress)
Hepatica nobilis var. acuta (sharplobe hepatica)
Thalictrum thalictroides (rue anemone)
Saxifraga virginiensis (early saxifrage)
Claytonia virginica (Virginia springbeauty)
Claytonia caroliniana (Carolina springbeauty)
Viola sororia (common blue violet)
Draba verna (Whitlow grass or spring draba)
You can find more native plants of Pennsylvania by doing a "Combination Search" in our Native Plant Database and you can "Narrow Your Search" by using various Characters (e.g., Habit (general appearance), Light requirement, etc.).
Visit the Western Pennsylvania Wildflowers page to find more photos of the above plants (search alphabetically by common name) as well as many more plants, both native and non-native, found in western Pennsylvania.
From the Image Gallery
More Wildflowers Questions
Native flowers for cutting for wedding in June
January 25, 2009 - My husband and I are hosting a wedding reception for our daughter and her husband in Austin in June. If possible, we would like to use live flowers or live colorful plants as centerpieces and decorat...
view the full question and answer
Wildflower seed planting time in Northwest US
August 07, 2007 - What is the best time to plant wildflower seeds in the northwest United States?
view the full question and answer
Moving Iris bulbs
April 15, 2011 - I will be moving and want to take my Iris bulbs with me. Can I dig them up now that they are in flower?
view the full question and answer
Native flowers for color year round
May 02, 2007 - I have the opportunity to recommend plants for a religious organization. They want YEAR ROUND color in some areas, much like how commercial sites use annual color. I would like to suggest native/ada...
view the full question and answer
Plants for Maine
June 06, 2005 - Hi there, I am looking for types of wildflowers that might be growing in Maine late july that would be okay to pick (would rather not pick endangered species, etc.). Any leads would be great. Also if ...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
