First glance of this white patch of springtime, from my bicycle, looks like a uniform cluster of Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia), named by the famed Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Natural diversity is one of the amazing characteristics of a wild, mostly-undisturbed area. Chicago’s Cook Country Forest Preserve is as close as I can get in this urban area to native wildlife.

As I get closer to the Anemone, I realize that other spring blooms are present in this “mostly” Anemone patch of forest floor. Note the Trout Lily leaves in the right and lower portions of the overall image. The fence in the background separates a public golf course from the bike trail. The shrub is probably the invasive Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and its presence reinforces that this is an urban, partly disturbed forest.

This small patch of woodland floor hosts a multitude of plant species; some will become visible in several months. This time my eyes stay focused on the natives.

Forest floor of Anemone and Trout Lily, copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg

Wood Anemone with a few other natives. copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg

Close up of Anemone with Trout Lily peaking into frame. copyright 2015, Pamela Breitberg

Portrait of tiny Wood Anemone, copyright 2015 Pamela Breitberg