lesser celandine, Ficaria verna

Not lesser enough! This former Eurasian member of the genus Ranunculus (buttercups), is now becoming a serious threat to our woodland flowers. It spreads rapidly, mostly vegetatively with it's aggressive roots. It can quickly take over a floodplain woods. Like other Eurasian invasives, it begins growth earlier than our spring flowers, giving it an advantage in the competition for sunlight and nutrition. So quit planting it in your garden, and kill it if you see it in the woods! Ironically, this image is from the very place I did a presentation about spring ephemeral wildflowers two days ago. It's now been reported from CO, CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV, WY, BC, NF, ON, and QC. Matthaei Gardens, UM, 4/30/16.