Blooming right now in the Catskills region is the Trout Lily. This little woodland wildflower is so-named because its leaves are mottled with maroon or brown like the skin of a trout and because its yellow flower is shaped like a lily flower (which makes sense, since it is in…
Skunk cabbage is a native northeastern wildflower, and a conspicuous plant at this time of year here in the Catskills. It is especially common in wooded bottomland which is seasonally flooded. Its bright green clusters of leaves are developed and obvious at a time when most other plants have barely…
Coltsfoot is a very common sight here in the Catskills, flowering at this time of year. It prefers to grow along the wooded sides of back roads, as it does well in the damper, gravelly ground found there. It has bright yellow dandelion-like flowers growing on grayish green stalks that…
One of the earliest blooming flowers in the Catskills region is the Marsh Marigold. It’s not really a marigold but it does grow in wet places that are at least seasonally flooded. This habitat preference is reflected in its scientific name, Caltha palustris. The name Caltha comes from a Greek…
Watercress is a tasty, nutritious spring vegetable that grows very well in the Catskills. During the summer, it forms dense mats along the edges of flowing water, and after overwintering, when spring comes, it is ready to harvest almost as soon as the ice covering it melts. Once established, watercress…
