May 12,
Mt. Greylock State Reservation, Williamstown
While the blunt-lobed hepatica is present all across
Massachusetts, the acute-lobed variety is restricted to the western counties.
The two varieties differ in their ecological range. This one is a plant of
rich woods, often on calcareous bedrock. Its counterpart is less picky and grows
in dryer woods on acidic rocks. Photo taken in western Massachusetts