Hepatica is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring, but they are only open on sunny days! The flowers are white, pink, lavender, or blue. The 6 to 10 “petals” are really sepals, and they sit upon a leafless, hairy stem. They’re often found in clumps, with the flower stalks standing upright over the flattened basal leaves.

“The plant gets its name from the leathery purple-brown basal leaves, which resemble the shape of the liver. Many early herbalists believed that the shape of the plant determined its usefulness in the treatment of liver ailments.”