February

Skunk cabbage, one of the first harbingers of spring, should be blooming in the wetter lowlands of Brecksville, Hinckley and Rocky River reservations this week.

Pungent skunk cabbage begins to bloom in low wet places in Cleveland Metroparks valleys. The hooded flower pokes its head up through ice to attract early spring insects.

Colorful wildflowers at last! The dandelion-like blossoms of the coltsfoot may even poke their determined heads through the snow to bloom. They prefer recently disturbed soils as blooming places. Watch for them along road cuts and construction sites.

Spring beauty and hepatica begin to bloom throughout most of Cleveland Metroparks. Some years North Chagrin Reservation's wildflowers bloom almost a week later due to the "lake effect."

Trout lily or "yellow adder's tongue" begins to bloom in Cleveland Metroparks southern reservations. Watch for them a week or so later in Rocky River, Mill Stream Run and Garfield Park reservations.

Violets, bloodroot, rue anemone and cut-leaf toothwort should be in bloom along most of Cleveland Metroparks nature trails.

Three-petaled, three-leafed white trilliums should be up but not quite yet blooming in most Cleveland Metroparks forests.

Marsh marigolds adds their yellow beauty to low wet places.

Grassy open places are carpeted with tiny four-petaled bluets. So many may bloom that they resemble a pale blue snowdrift in the spring woods.

Snowy white trilliums now dot most of Cleveland Metroparks deep woodlands. Look around them for Virginia bluebell, Dutchman's breeches and squirrel corn.

May-apple flowers should be blooming under their umbrella-like leaves by the beginning of May.

Daisy fleabane, first of the summer daisies, may begin to open its white blossoms the end of May. It was rumored to be used as an insect repellent when crushed or burned.

Summer flowers begin to dot the open meadows of Cleveland Metroparks with oranges and yellows of hawkweed and yellows of cinquefoil.

Yellow iris adds a touch of bright color to the green of marsh edges.

Cow parsnip as tall as a person appears with umbrella-shaped white blossoms along stream banks and marsh edges.

By tradition, St. John's wort blooms on June 21 to ward away evil spirits on a mid-summer's night eve.

Wild strawberries ripen in this third week of the "strawberry moon."

Watch open fields and roadsides for the first of the pale blue flowers of chickory, sometimes called blue sailors.

Common milkweed unfolds fragrant purple flowers beginning the end of the month and continuing through July. The flowers turn into green dill-pickle-sized pods and are a prized "wild edible" in some parts of the country.

Queen Anne's lace begins to bloom.

Yellow and orange spotted jewelweed is blooming on moist sites throughout Cleveland Metroparks. Later in summer, their "exploding" seed pods delight hikers brave enough to touch!

Canada lily and other lilies begin to bloom along Cleveland Metroparks roadsides the beginning of the month.

Buckwheat begins to bloom. Later in the fall, this wildflower's seeds become an important part of the diet of migrating waterfowl. It is planted in many wet places by Cleveland Metroparks wildlife management staff.

Queen Anne's lace, yarrow, milkweed, ox-eye daisy, butter-and-eggs, evening primrose and enchanter's nightshade should all be in full bloom by now.

Teasel heads, looking like tall purple burrs, are beginning to bloom along road-sides and in open meadows.

Early goldenrod, first of many goldenrods to bloom, becomes a harbinger of autumn as it adds bright yellow to shady open places along parkways.

The tall lavender blossoms of joe-pye weed may stand six feed tall in low wet places like Lake Isaac, in Big Creek Reservation, in Mill Stream Run Reservation and along Brecksville's Riverview Road.

The brilliant -reds of cardinal flowers contrast with the golds and greens of cattails and sedges in wet meadows and woods the end of the month.

White boneset flowers and the rich purple of ironweed brighten marsh edges.

Evening primrose unfolds its pale yellow petals at sunset to be pollinated by night flying insects.

Giant dandelions? A closer look reveals that this flower is actually a sow thistle, a similar yellow flower, whose stems and blossoms may reach two feet in height.

Mountain mint, a species of wildflower with a green flower head and "dusted white" leaves, blooms in many places in Mill Stream Run, Rocky River and Hinckley Reservations. This mint is considered rare throughout most of Ohio, yet blooms commonly in certain locations here.

Wingstem, a seven-foot tall yellow flower, begins to bloom in low wet places throughout Cleveland Metroparks. When it has "set seed," the seeds contain a two-pronged spear. The seeds latch onto an animal host and travel far away from the parent plant.

New England aster, perhaps the most attractive of the fall asters, begins to bloom and continues through September, its purple flowers with bright yellow centers set it apart from all others.

Bottle gentian, an extremely rare and protected plant, begins to bloom at secret places near Lake Isaac.

Poison ivy and deadly nightshade set fruit the end of the month. Chickadees, not affected by the irritating oils, eagerly search for the white poison ivy berries as they ripen.

The cardinal flower reaches its peak of blooming this week. The vibrant red flowers dot many Cleveland Metroparks marshes and river edges.

A stroll through Cleveland Metroparks meadows reveals the beauties of gray goldenrod, bottle gentian, great lobelia and turtlehead.

New England aster, perhaps the most beautiful of all fall asters, continues to bloom. The bright yellow center is surrounded by deep purple petals, making a lovely contrast of colors on the fall landscape.

Ironweed's bright burgundy flowers top its stems at heights of five feet or more in Cleveland Metroparks meadows. Look for it among the bright yellows of goldenrods blooming nearby.

Most asters are at their peak of blooming and will quickly decline after mid-month.

Jewelweed is in seed. Touch the cigar-shaped green seed pods and find out why they're called "touch-me-nots!"

New England aster and small white aster, the last of the autumn wildflowers, should be at their peak of bloom by now. They will quickly decline and leave the meadows a gentle brown haze of stems and seeds.

Milkweed pods open and fill the air with their fluffy parachute seeds the end of the month.