February Blooms in Ruskin

A stroll along the Little Manatee River in February

is full of tiny blooming surprises.

Like these thick shrubby little Oxalis bushes

with yellow flowers.

On down the road are the sweetest
 tiny 5 pedaled yellow flower.

Along the roadside are small fields of 

 buttery yellow flowers on 2 foot tall bushes.

St. Andrew's Cross

One of my favorite is Violet Oxalis Corymbosa

 along the muddy ditches

Common name is Violet Wood Sorrel. 

Some of the leaves are 3-4 inches across.

Some red tassel flowers are popping up.  A rare find.

Even the fields are alive with colorful red brush.

Hastate Leaf Dock

The Pink Tabebuia, the queen all the spring blooming trees.

A close up of a cluster of the pink blooms.

This is one  awesome Yellow Tabebuia.

A very lacy bush with dainty yellow

 blooms at the ends of the stalks.

Quite the show stopper along the road

 are the Simson Stoppers. This one is

about 5 feet high and 5 feet across.

 

These very thorny crawling vines are Blackberries

along the sides of the roads. 

These two pictures are of these tiny Clematis - baldwinii or Pine Hyacinth.

among some Resurrection Fern before it unfurles in spring.

l
A delightful find underneath the old pines.
A succulent that is very hardy
and one of the first to bloom at the first of the year.
These stand about 2 feet high.
 Mexican Bells. 

Love driving down the road lined with

 Bright Yellow Mexican Poppies.

This is a field of Bay Purple Lobelia.

These are so tiny you will only see these jewels

 if your out walking. Check out their painted faces.

I really new find. Large mounds of soft green leaves

 with a tiny flower at the end of each branch.

Chickweed

By February bright yellow  Jessamine.

covers  numerous fences, bushes and trees. 

 In passing. it can look like the host is the one in full bloom.

Gelsemium sempervirens