Last Rue Anemone

The Last Rue Anemone

I have been watching the rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) all spring, but have not been satisfied with my attempts to photograph it. I think I finally have a good angle. The rue anemone is a patient bloomer. It first blooms fairly early in spring, not long before the trillium. At first it’s nearly alone on the forest floor. Soon its neighbors emerge and all but engulf it–yet the rue anemone blooms on. Now, some six weeks after its first appearance, the last blooms are still fresh, but none will replace it going forward until next April. Interestingly, not very far away from this bloom was the last Spring Beauty–another patient bloomer that still flowers even as its neighbors dwarf it.