Day 149: And here's what inspired me to yesterday's hike: Snow Queens (Synthyris reniformis, aka Spring Queens). Snow Queens are one of the first flowers to emerge, and although they aren't particularly uncommon, I only know a couple of locations where they grow. They're easy to miss because their leaves are close to the ground and the flowering stems only stand a few inches high, plus they tend to prefer dappled light and appear beneath other taller plants (at least in Pack Forest). Each individual flower has two purple anthers, rather outsized for the white-lavender bell surrounding them. They look for all the world like two little purple eyes. The leaves are kidney-shaped ("reniformis" means "shaped like a kidney") and are lightly hairy. Who else do you know who'd hike 11 miles to take a picture of a three-inch tall flower?
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