Easter Colored Treasure Hunt

Today's blissful warmth, sunshine and breeze brought us outside early on a trip to Baltimore Woods for another of my weekly wildflower watches.  Given that it's Easter weekend, I felt much like I was on an Easter egg hunt as I scanned the ground for hidden treasures.  And find treasures we did!

First, our friends.  This little fellow is just a bitty baby.  He was sunning himself in one of the upper gardens, and measured only perhaps 5 1/2 inches.

How can anyone resist a face like this?

My attention was soon drawn to a spot of bright red under the leaves.  When I moved aside a couple of the leaves, I spotted a scarlet cup, with this collection of critters on it:

I recognize the millipedes (yick - I don't know why but centipedes and millipedes give me the heebie jeebies), but don't know what the cute green bug is.  Perhaps I shall go sit outside on the swing and look him up.

These marks were all along the water's edge.  I suspect they were made my some variety of worm or other?  They looked very artistic:

On to the wildflowers.  It's incredible how much flowers can grow in a week!

Hepatica, with its variety of colors and fuzzy stems:

Bloodroot, still wrapped tightly in its blanket of leaves as if it's afraid to trust that the warmth will last:

Spring beauty.  I adore its smart little stripes, and particularly love the bright pink anthers on the second photo.  They look like delicate pink slippers:

Soon-to-be trillium, which have appeared out of nowhere in the last week.  I love to speculate about which color each will turn out to be:

Myrtle:

Colts foot.  I love the tiny little yellow flower in the center of the, well, flower.

And the Daphne has grown a great deal in the last week, too (thanks, Ellen, for the ID!):

And then the much less intoxicatingly lovely yet still fascinating skunk cabbage:

All-in-all, it was a spectacularly beautiful Saturday walk, and the flower colors are just irresistibly festive.