May Apple Bloom

Podophyllum peltatum, Mayapple, May apple, hogapple, Indian apple, mayflower, umbrella plant, wild lemon, wild mandrake, American mandrake, devil's apple: these are some of the names that Wikipedia lists for this plant.

They are quite common in central Pennsylvania, especially in the month of May, and they're impossible to miss. There are usually a bunch of them standing together, their large green leaves looking like umbrellas. Step closer and lift up one of those leaves, and you just may find a pretty little bloom beneath it!

And so I did. I lifted up the huge green leaves, and there it was: a shapely white flower. And it was backlit by the afternoon sun which was shining through it. I pondered to myself - how like an angel it was - and mused from there about how lovely these things are that we see every day and take for granted. And then suddenly one moment you actually SEE it - Aha! - and are almost struck speechless at how complex and lovely everything is. Every. Single. Thing.

For the record, this may be the latest I've spotted actual blooms on May apple plants. Usually, by now, they have moved into the fruiting phase and the little white flower turns into a tiny green fruit resembling an apple.

On this particular day, we went for our second swim of the year at Bald Eagle State Park. Then we went for a short hike up the hill to sit in our chairs and read our books amid the sylvan splendor of the Pennsylvania spring woods, which are clad in every shade of green imaginable.

The weather, which had given us a series of hall-of-famer spring days, sunny and breezy and cooler than usual, began to change on this day. Clouds moved in, and showers were in the forecast, with the arrival of increased heat and humidity predicted for later in the week. We're starting to move from spring into summer, I guess!

The song to accompany this photo is in honor of the little green apple that will soon replace the white flower blooming on this plant. The song was written by Bobby Russell, and many people have recorded it, but my favorite version has to be Roger Miller's. And so here it is: Little Green Apples, performed by Roger Miller.