The Blue Eyed Grass at Fort Hill is just beautiful. It is a member of the Iris family, and is not a grass at all. It is native to North America and forms clumps of slender long foliage, resembling grass, and is topped in spring with small pointed periwinkle flowers.
Bearberries, native dwarf shrubs that grow to only 3-6,” are blooming all over the Cape. They have tiny white, with a tinge of pink, bell-shaped flowers that dangle beneath their shiny leaves. These flowers will become red berries in the fall.
The name “bearberry” for the plant derives from the edible fruit which is a favorite food of bears. The fruit, also called bearberries, are edible and are sometimes gathered as food for humans. The leaves of the plant are used in herbal medicine.
There is a lot of Watercress wildflowers starting to bloom along the trails at Fort Hill, especially down by the water. Watercress have tiny white flowers with 4 petals. They are so delicate and pretty.
Ground Ivy is part of the mint family and grows to about 6″ tall with 3/4″ blue-violet flowers which are tubular. They grow from April to June and you can see them all along the trails at Fort Hill in Eastham.
I saw this beautiful white wildflower along one of the trails here on Cape Cod and did some research to find out that it is a Pheasant Eye Narcissus. I had never seen one before. Have you?
I thought the yellow and red center was just exquisite; what do you think?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
