I was at the New York Botanical Garden yesterday, teaching the first session of a bulb i.d. course. The weather was overcast, windy, chilly, miserable. Even so, out we went on the grounds to look for geophytes. A wonderful patch of Anemone x lipsiensis was in flower in the rock garden - creamy yellow flowers nicely in proportion to the foliage. Just reinforces my wish to get some for my own garden. The weather has been so forward/ backwards, warm and sunny/ cool and cloudy that flowering is disheveled. Yes, cherries are in bloom and snowing petals on the ground. But the daffodils seem to be a few Division I trumpets, lots labeled Division II which is long cup (many sure looked very short to me and my students) and a bunch of Division XI split corona (possibly my least favorite - there are a few Division IV doubles that I find attractive, making it my runner-up for least liked.) Trillium luteum in good display in the native plant garden. Along with Erythronium americanum. Here's where I go into my perpetual "I'm glad I'm not a taxonomist" mode. There are large patches of the usual somewhat squinny mottled foliage with an occasional flower. Then there are large patches of large foliage with lots of large flowers, buff/ tan reverse to the petals, yellow interior. I think that the larger form might be E. umbillicatum - I had something similar that I'd bought under that name from Woodlanders in Aiken, S.C. I've tried my "admire to acquire" whiles on two rock garden curators now, to no avail. But in trolling through my local woods I've found something similar, that is to say it is larger, more robust, two-toned flowers. And, having gotten permission from the property owner, some will wend their way to BelleWood this afternoon. Anyone have any suggestions as to why there is suddenly a more garden-worthy form - larger, more floriferous? And is it merely a robust version rather than a distinct species? Inquiring minds want to know. If curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought her back. Judy, in NJ where the sun has consented to shine today