ground ivy in bloom

There is finally enough growth for the first "plant walk" of the year. I take too many pictures of plants, but I love them all and hope to create a wild food gathering website at some point. It's so interesting to see how plants grow and change over the course of the year; I can't help documenting them.

Today's most exciting find was ground ivy (AKA gill-over-the-ground). The leaves of this plant make a minty tea, and can be dried for use all year. I don't like it as much as peppermint or spearmint, but it would do in a pinch, and it grows wild. As you can see, the tiny purple flowers are charming in the early Spring, and the low-growing leaves are attractive for the entire season.

Other plants today include greater celandine, violet leaves, blooming vinca, forsythia, and even a small dandelion flower.