Welcome to Awesome Native Plants

Do you Recognize this Flower?
Early Meadow Rue - Thalictrum dioicum

This inconspicuous flower is the female flower of early meadow rue. The male flower is distinctive too with its long dangling stamens.
Note that the stigma is sticky/active down the side of the style as oppose to being active only at the far end of the style. Flowers bloom in late April & early May. Keep your eyes open for them. They are not rare but not too common. Learn more about Early Meadow Rue. Also see our Spring Plant Profiles & Photos

SPRING is HERE / ALMOST
Twinleaf - Jeffersonia diphylla

In NJ, twinleaf is critically imperiled (S1). However, they can be found in shady spots in gardens. Twinleaf is not a spring ephemeral. Its snow white flowers are elusive but its leaves will make a distinctive ground cover into the summer. Keep this rare plant alive in NJ; plant one this year.
Read about its distinctive way of releasing pollen and its interesting fruit. Click here. Also see our 'Gardener News' article 'Flower For A Day'

Its a New Year and a New Spring
Trailing arbutus - Epigaea repens

Trailing arbutus is an early bloomer. You can find them on slopes where the leaf litter has slipped downhill to expose the leathery leaves. The flowers have been described as functionally dioecious because structurally they sometimes appear to be bisexual but are not. Their seeds are dispersed by ants but not as bloodroots and spring beautys. Learn more about Trailing arbutus. Look for these on your early spring hikes. Also see our Spring Plant Profiles & Photos

American Beech - Fagus grandifolia

Its pale papery leaves are persistent in the winter forest. It is a solemn landscape as the BLD (Beech Leaf Disease) threatens to put them into oblivion. A sobering thought. To learn about the tree and its utility click: Beech (1) and Beech (2). Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana) which depend of beech trees will have the same fate : Click here.