April is the month of forest wildflowers. The soil is warming, moisture is abundant and the sparse canopy has not yet shaded the forest floor. So grab your wildflower guide and head for a woodland trail!
Spring beauty, trillium, heptatica, buttercups, bluebells, bloodroot, May apple and Dutchman's britches are among the more common forest wildflowers. Others include wild hyacinth, columbine, trout lily, Jacob's ladder, bellwort, fire pink, rue anemone and squaw-weed. Understory trees, such as redbud and flowering dogwood paint the woodland and the drumming and calls of woodpeckers ring through the early spring forest. By the end of the month, the canopy will close in, shade will envelop the understory and most of the color will fade to green.
