Pre-spring

These photos were taken on February 25. Daffodils blooming always inspire me to snap a few photos. I also wanted to document the blooming Chinese honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima).

Bitter cress (Cardamine hirsuta), another sign of spring. Not the most tenacious weed, but it does have a mat-like root system which removes lots of soil when pulled out of the ground. A member of the brassica (mustard) family, it can be eaten. In my observations, bitter cress loves cool, humid soil and short days. The seed pods, when ready, explode upon contact and their seeds become lilliputian projectiles.

Dock – probably curly dock (Rumex crispus). It has a deep taproot which brings up minerals from the subsoil and clay. I enjoy walking through the garden, and breaking off the young leaves to use as mulch or chicken chow.