As a gardeners and plant nerds, Earth Day is the day everyone else notices what we see everyday in the wonders of Mother Nature. In celebration of this day, here are native flowers in their untouched natural environment that we found over the weekend. This is a protected valley located in the heart of Clintonville, Ohio that when we visited two years ago was filled with waves of blue flowers (Blue Squill). We have been visiting periodically this spring to catch the blooms and photograph. However, this weekend we found a better surprise, a mix of four Ohio natives in blooming waves of white, yellow, blue and purple.

The valley has a number of invasive plants like wild garlic mustard and honeysuckle that the local community has been helping to manage, but still these native plants continue to thrive. It is also a reminder how quickly things change during spring and how you should carry your camera at all times because what is blooming today, might be done tomorrow.

Trout Lily -Erythronium americanum

Marsh Marigold-Caltha palustris

Dutchman’s Breeches – Dicentra cucullaria

Dutchman’s Breeches – Dicentra cucullaria

Virginia bluebells- Mertensia virginica

Virginia bluebells- Mertensia virginica with a pink and blue bloom

Cercis canadensis- Eastern Redbud & Virginia bluebells- Mertensia virginica