The transition in the ravine of successive wildflower eruptions is bringing us to the close of spring. Gone are the earlier spring flowers and the blossoms on the flowering shrubs and trees throughout the ravine. In their place are the newest cohorts. Invariably surprising us because of our faulty memories failing to recall when they're expected.

Buttercups

Buttercups so soon? Daisies already? Not that we're not happy to see them raise their bright heads wherever the sun penetrates briefly through the now leaf-dense canopy of the forest throughout the day. Just that when they do appear we're amazed that their presence hasn't been accurately predicted by our expectations.

Daisies

Take the wood anemome for example. I've been looking out for them and waiting for the buds to finally bloom for quite some time. I'd always remembered them earlier in bloom. And it is only now that they're finally in their glory. There aren't many clumps of them in the ravine, and year-to-year we encounter the same small colony in the very same place, though we had our doubts they'd return after the use of heavy construction machinery tamped down the forest floor in the reconstruction of the ravine bridges.

Wood Anemone

The flowering in white and lavender of clover, the purple floral clusters on cowvetch and the presence of buttercups brightens the atmosphere of prevailing shades of green. And the daisies, which I always think of as appearing in late June/early July, seem early this year, but there they are, in happy abundance as well.

Clover