Native Wildflowers of Spring through Early Summer
Most will be familiar to viewers. These are species that thrive in many parts of Nova Scotia. They are all native to southwestern counties unless otherwise noted. I have included only a few of the thousands of native plants in our province - those that I happened to see when I had my camera handy.
dandelion species, spring bluets (veronica), and marsh marigold - May & June (dandelions also later)
common speedwell, wild garlic, grass-of-Parnassus
yarrow, blue-eyed grass and daisy - late June; yarrow has a longer blooming period than the others
cypripedium acaule - the familiar June lady's slipper of acidic deciduous woodlands
cypripedium reginae (showy lady's slipper) and cypripedium parviflorum (yellow lady's slipper); both of these species dislike acid soil and can be found in central Nova Scotia, especially Hants County, where gypsum and limestone are present
three tiny June flowers that yield berries - partrige berry, lowbush blueberry and twinflower
rhodora - a wild rhododendron common in NS, especially near water and in marshy areas (May)
painted trillium (trillium undulatum), a native of shady deciduous forests
starflowers - May, shady woodlands (trientalis borealis)
a single violet is flanked by marsh marigolds; these are early-May arrivals, found most often in wetland areas, but I chose to put them on this page rather than with the aquatic plants where they would also fit
June favourites - wild strawberry, wild lily-of-the-valley, red clover
a clover meadow, and a seaside display of wild iris and angelica
May colours beside the Annis River