Three Flowers Not Often Seen

            We have found a few more new flowers or flowers that we do not see too often in the last week or so. On of the highlights was American Columbo / Frasère de Caroline / (Frasera caroliniensis). It starts life as a small rosette of leaves and comes back that way for several years, 5 to 30 years according to some sources. Then it blooms and dies. I have seen blooms a few times and this year was one of those times. There were 2 out of over 70 plants that were blooming.

            You can see a few plants under the blooming plant so there will be some blooms again, some year.

            On the way to look for the Columbo, one of the wild flower walker  spotted a very small green flower on the edge of the trail.

            I think I have only seen this plant one other time in bloom. In my wild flower guide it is called Wild Licorice. The accepted name is now "Licorice Bedstraw" / Gaillet Fausse-circée / (Galium circaezans). It was the rather different leaf pattern that alerted the person that found it for us. The flower was visible only on close inspection.

            Here is another plant that I have only seen in bloom on one other occasion. This one is Broadleaf Waterleaf in my guide book now called "Bluntleaf Waterleaf" / Hydrophylle du Canada / (Hydrophyllum Canadense).