The Bloodroots are late this year, which, give how mostly miserable March was, is hardly surprising. But yesterday, after searching the leaf litter underneath our trio of Beech trees where the first members of the Sanguinaria canadensis clan usually emerge, I noticed the vanguard of white-tipped buds still clad in their wraparound parkas. I knew that things were close. It was sunny and more pleasant than it has been today, and by the afternoon, my persistence and patience were rewarded as one of these glorious spring not-exactly-ephemerals—Bloodroot flowers pass quickly, but, unlike the true ephemerals, the plants actually remain visible and viable in place until late summer—got down to floral business. There were no pollinators waiting to take advantage of the pollen offering, but soon enough, when S. canadensis emerges en masse, the bees and flies will get the hint.