Back on April 5, the twinleaf appeared.
Eleven days later, there is still a red tint around the edges of the leaves, which look like butterflies perched on stems.
The flowers opened three days after that, but did not last a full 48 hours. According to the U.S. Forest Service, they are self pollinating. They do have a picture of a young plant in bloom, but somehow, that’s the least interesting stage of this sturdy little native.
By April 25, they reached botanical parenthood. How could a nascent seedpod like this not make you smile—or laugh out loud? Last year they looked like they had been mugged by a stiff breeze. This year they look more like kids let loose at the beach on a hot day.
The most fun is yet to come. The seedpods are a hoot! Once they have tossed their seeds around, the plants will settle into being very nice drifts of green.