Cincinnati’s Springtime Mascot
Spring-beauties are some of the first spring wildflowers you will see starting in March. The flowers will bloom through to May but once it starts getting warm out, spring beauty flowers will fade quickly.
You can find spring-beauties in just about any woodland setting. Look for them in shaded areas as well as open grassy areas that have yet to be mowed.
Hikes to See Spring-Beauty Wildflowers
One of my favorite places to hike in the spring is the paved trail around the perimeter of Sharon Lake at Sharon Woods. This trail never fails to put on quite a show of spring wildflowers.
Other spring wildflower hikes in the Cincinnati area include Caldwell Nature Preserve, Cox Arboretum, Germantown Metropark, Sugarcreek Metropark, Withrow Nature Preserve, Woodland Mound, and Clifty Falls State Park and Nature Preserve.
Spring-beauties are smaller than a dime in diameter and appear as a brilliant white with vibrant pinkish purple stripes. These stripes serve as nectar guides.
Spring-Beauty & the Bees
Like dandelions, spring-beauties are an early source of nectar for native bees. The small bees visiting the flower as most likely a species of mining bees known as Andrena erigeniae.
The great thing about looking for and photographing spring wildflowers is that they don’t run or fly away/ Just be careful to stay on the trail because you wouldn’t want to crush upcoming spring wildflowers!
Get started on identifying spring wildflowers with this guide, this one, or this one.
