Flowers at Center Point Preserve

 This is my favorite season at Center Point Preserve as I find some of my favorite flowers in bloom over the next few weeks.

I was on the lookout for Painted Trillium as they are just coming into bloom. They are close to the ground and I was looking for flashes of white in the woods. I wasn't disappointed as there were small groupings... 

and some Trillium singlets visible on the west side of the trail where the ground is often damp.

I practically jumped for joy upon finding my first grouping of Fringed Polygala, aka Bird-on-the-Wing. They really are attention grabbers!

Here is a close-up of one. They really do look like birds or butterflies flying. I found these flowers in groups on both sides of the trail.

Another flower in great abundance was the Starflower.

I love Wood Anemone as well. They are in the buttercup family.

I also saw lots of Sessile Bellwort plants which are characterized by the drooping of the top of the stem.

I wasn't surprised to find wild strawberry plants in abundance. They are in flower now, and will bear tiny strawberries in awhile.

I didn't come across many, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this wild blueberry plant right next to the trail.

There were Violets everywhere. The are incredibly prolific and provide so much color along the trail.

Clumpings of Bluets were in many sunny, poor soil areas. From what I have observed here in Maine, the bluets range from light blue in color to white.

And, I wouldn't want to leave out such a cheery flower as the Dandelion. Their nectar is a great source of food for bees and ants. The Dandelions were mostly found along the sides and in the center of the trail.