Naked Ladies on the Lawn

The first winter I lived here, I looked out the kitchen window and saw thin green leaves growing form the ground in clumps. I thought they were crocuses, but was disappointed when February passed, and no flowers came from those leaves. I compared the leaves with some from real crocuses that grew under the bedroom window, and realized they didn't have any white stripe int he center. In weeks to come, the green leaves turned brown ont he ends, slumped to the ground, then gave up the ghost entirely without any evidence of blossoms at all.

I knew something had to be wrong there, because although bulbs can reproduce by making more bulbs underground, they still flower. Before too many days, little white six-petaled flowers came up. I found out that they are called Wood Anemonies or Stars of Bethlehem. But here in East Tennessee, they are called Naked Ladies.

Now that the Redbuds are passed and the Dogwoods are quickly following them, the irises are standing tall with their Tennessee blue flowers, the Naked Ladies are sprawling indolently on the lawn. They gather in huge patches where their green leaves have formed carpets for them.

Summer can't be far away.