Wildflowers of 2014 - #10 Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)

Yesterday (24 April), I photographed my tenth wildflower of 2014 - Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica).  This small woodland wildflower is a spring ephemeral - meaning it completes its annual growth and bloom cycle before the canopy trees leaf out and cut off the majority light to the forest floor.

I have been searching for Spring Beauty for several weeks.  Over the past five years, the third week of April seems to be when this flower begins to bloom, but I have found it as early April 3rd (2012).  For more information on Spring Beauty, look at this post from last year.

Wildflowers of 2014 - #1 through #10

#1 Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) - 10 April 2014
#2 Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) - 14 April 2014
#3 Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) - 14 April 2014
#4 Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) - 16 April 2014
#5 Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) - 21 April 2014
#6 Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) - 21 April 2014
#7 Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) - 21 April 2014
#8 Red Maple (Acer rubrum) - 22 April 2014
#9 Speckled Alder (Alnus rugosa) - 22 April 2014
#10 Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) - 24 April 2014