Not all May flowers easy to spot

By My Courier-Tribune

Taking a walk through the woods in early May can be a feast for the eyes, according to the Department of Conservation. The pinkish purple blooms of wild sweet William plants dot the forest floor while Virginia bluebells create a carpet of blue with their drooping blossoms.

“Look up and there may be eastern redbud trees blooming or the clusters of red tubular flowers of the red buckeye, but look a little closer and you can find the hidden gems of the spring forest,” states a release.

Mayapples produce a white and yellow flower, but one must look under its leaves to see it.

“Look for plants with two leaves. They are the only ones that produce flowers and small green fruit,” states the release.

Jack in the pulpit tucks a clublike structure covered in tiny flowers under the protective canopy of a modified leaf or spathe. One can lift the spathe to see the flowers.

Wild ginger grows low to the ground in clusters. One can spot their slightly hairy, heart-shaped leaves, but if one looks under the leaves, he or she will find fuzzy, red-brown flowers.

For more details on harder flowers to spot, see the MDC field guide at nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/search.