Plants

February Common Hair Cap Moss forms lush green carpets on moist, slightly acid soils in the woodlands of Newton. This moss gets its name from the hairs that cover the

January Unlikely as it may seem, some ferns are easy to find despite a several-inch blanket of snow. Most ferns emerge in April, grow spores under their fronds in the

August Sweetfern is not a fern but a short round shrub. It grows to be two to four feet high and four to eight feet wide. It is called sweetfern

May A member of the buttercup family, this is one of the most colorful blossoms of the early spring woods, blooming sometime from late April to mid-June on ledges and

April Bloodroot, a true harbinger of spring, blooms in mid-April. The flower bud emerges with a single leaf wrapped around the stem. The leaf unfurls to reveal a pure white,

March Skunk Cabbage emerges in swampy areas. This plant generates enough heat to melt snow and ice around it. Look for its unusual flowers, which are maroon-striped, leaf-like spathes surrounding