Thank you Linda Robertson for the close-up photos of Leavenworthia Stylosa. This early bloomer is said to grow only in Tennessee’s Central Basin. It belongs to the mustard family and is commonly known as Cedar Glade Cress or occasionally Nashville Mustard. It grows in cedar glades, ditches, and low-lying fields (lawns).

L. stylosa typically blooms from March to May. The flowers are about 1 inch wide and are white, yellow or pink in color with a yellow center. The tips of the petals are notched. Yellow varieties are found more commonly in the northern half of the Central Basin while the white and pink varieties are found more commonly in the southern half.

Nashville Mustard growing in the Glades – 20 March 2013

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Leavenworthia Stylosa In the Glades – 20 March 2013

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Cedar Glade Cress blooms in a field – 20 March 2013

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And here are some photos of my yard this spring. The first one was taken St. Patrick’s Day, and the second one on Friday, 22 March, but this stuff has been in bloom since early February. My bees wear it out, and the henbit too, when nothing else is available.

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