first and fleeting

Bloodroot is among the first spring ephemerals to bloom here in the North. Spring ephemerals are the native (often tiny) woodland flowers that bloom early in spring taking advantage of the sunshine hitting the forest floor before bud burst and leaf out. These woodland flowers often go through most of their lifecycle in a matter of weeks. This is the fourth bloodroot bloom in my yard this spring–the first blooms lasting only 2 days. It gives meaning to the word impermanence.

From wiki: The flowers bloom from March to May depending on the region and climate.They have 8–12 delicate white petals, many yellow stamens, and two sepals below the petals, which fall off after the flowers open. Each flower stem is clasped by a single large basal leaf as it emerges from the ground. The flowers open when they are in sunlight and close at night. The basal leaf opens following blooming. In bloodroot, the sap is red and poisonous.The color of the sap is the reason for the genus name Sanguinaria, from Latin sanguinarius “bloody”.

bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)