Spring beauty

Wow, I forgot how busy spring is!  It's as if once things start sprouting and growing everything just explodes and suddenly there's just so much to be done!  Gardening projects, cleaning projects, building projects... plus I just want to take pictures of every flower I see, even though I probably already took pictures of them last year or the year before.  Ah, but the light wasn't the same last year, it wasn't in this exact spot last year, I had less experience last year, etc, etc.

Before all of my flower photos get stale I'll have to share them in big bunches, starting with my latest obsession: Spring Beauty.  I'll not attempt to narrow this one down to its Latin name, as I just read that there is a Carolina Spring Beauty and a Virginia Spring Beauty, and I have no way to tell which one might be growing around here (the photos I saw of each species looked identical to my untrained eyes).



These truly are some very charming flowers, and it seems like they are blooming everywhere! I see them in lawns all over the place, and I certainly can't take a walk in the woods without running into them.  Sunny spots, shady spots - they seem to be happy just about anywhere.


They are so photogenic that I can't help but take photo after photo of them.


They are dainty (the flower head is smaller than a penny in most cases), but those pink stripes and bright white petals really pack a punch!


Here is a large clump of Spring Beauty growing amongst violets and other small spring wildflowers.


Don't they make you smile?


I'll try to share photos of other itty-bitty flowers with you soon!