Aristolochiaceae

 Lemmon's Wild Ginger, Asarum lemmonii, is blooming in a spot on the FRC campus where I thought they might have been wiped out by a weed-eating and stream-clearing operation this past school year.  The area looked so cleared of vegetation, I had got out of the habit of leaving the trail to check on the Ginger and the Corn Lilies and the various insects, spiders, and other invertebrates that lived there.  Just an impulse, on this last day of April, to check out the spot.  The top photo shows one of the blossoms that was visible as I approached.  Before all the weed eating, the area was covered by a carpet of interlocking leaves with the blossoms hidden beneath.  One could not see if there were blossoms without pushing leaves aside.  The family name, which is the title of this post, is a word I love to pronounce and to hear other people try to. The photo below is from around 8" away.  Both were taken with my iPhone.  Generally, I'm not pleased with my iPhone photos because I have trouble focusing on tiny things and I'm pretty sensitive to the glare off the screen.  This afternoon the weather was cloudy so that wasn't a problem.  Although the blossom is the subject of the photo for most people, I love looking at the hairy stems.

Click on either photo for a closer view.