I have heard that this violet really is not separate from the regular common violet, even so, it is still fun to see. This was growing on the rocky, open hillside at Nicholson Preserve, Wayne County, IN.
Saturday I had the chance to visit some fens in Wayne County, IN at Nicholson Preserve with Dr. Ruch and Dr. Torke from Ball State. Spring really isn't the most impressive time for fens, but it is still fun to see. Carex stricta and Caltha palustris were blooming, in addition to the Cardamine bulbosa. The Filipendula rubra is coming up and should put on a good show.
I wanted to live in the woods but my wife wanted to live in town, so we comprimised. We bought a house in town and I planted a lot of trees!
This was a new flower for me to learn this weekend. It was growing on drier hillsides at the Red River Gorge, KY.
Scott and Keith both got the answer. Habitat was a little funny. The site was in east central Indiana (Henry County) on a hillside that had a fen at the base. The Shooting Star was growing all the way from the top of the hill to the edge of the fen. The flowers were budding last Wednesday (4/15), so they may be blooming by now. Shooting Star grows at Cabin Creek Bog (fen) in nearby Randolph County, so I guess it doesn't always have to be dry.
The forest floor was already alive this past weekend. Most of the white specs in the photo above are Enemion biternatum (Rananculaceae), shown below. Ben already discussed the differences between this species and Thalictrum thalictroides in his post here. Another difference between the two is that Enemion biternatum has conspicuous white, papery stipules.
The other contributor to the snowy-spotted landscape is Trillium grandiflorum (Liliaceae), the state wildflower of Ohio. This charismatic species, shown below, had just begun to flower. It should be at its peak next weekend at Bendix Woods. Seeds of T. grandiflorum possess elaiosomes, which are fleshy, fatty structures. Ants are attracted to the elaiosomes. When ants harvest seeds from different colonies of T. grandiflorum, they are helping to increase the genetic diversity of the future colony that will germinate at the location of their nest.
Both Dicentra canadensis (below) and D. cucullaria (below that) (Fumariaceae) were in flower, though I saw many fewer flowering individuals of D. canadensis. I noticed a lot of bumblebees in the vicinity of these two species, and as it turns out, bumblebees are thought to be the only pollinator of the two species.
Like Trillium grandiflorum, the seeds of Dicentra canadensis and D. cucullaria possess elaiosomes and are spread by ants.
One of my favorite spring wildflowers has to be Floerkea proserpinacoides (Limnanthaceae), pictured below. Why? Probably because most people don't even notice it, and because the flowers, although just a few millimeters across, are rather interesting. Small bees and flower flies are known to pollinate false mermaid, as it is known, and both insects were in abundance at Bendix Woods yesterday.
The maroon flowers of Asarum canadense (Aristolochiaceae), shown below, are low to the ground, where they are pollinated by ants. This has to be one of my favorite ephemerals. Oh... wait... I just said that about the previous species! It really is difficult to pick favorites, but who doesn't love a plant that has roots that can be used to make candy? I made candy from the roots of this and true ginger (Zingiber officinale) in college. While some pieces were too strong, others tasted very good.
Several other species were in flower, but I'll save those for the people who come on my hike next week! 
Violets are a fun and diverse group. Yesterday alone, I saw Viola blanda, V. canadensis, V. conspersa, V. odorata, V. pubescens, V. rostrata, and V. sororia in flower.
Chamaesyce polygonifolia, August 12, 2006
Hepatica acutiloba, Sharp-Lobed Hepatica at Warren Woods State Park, Berrien County, MI.
Caltha palustris, Cowslip, Marsh Marigold
For a student of the flora, it's hard to imagine anything nicer than a 70-degree Saturday in April spent in the woods! 
Hepatica acutiloba - Sharp-Lobed Hepatica
Dentaria laciniata - Toothwort 
Claytonia virginica - Spring Beauty
Cardamine douglassii - Spring Cress
Phlox bifida - Cleft Phlox, Sand Phlox
Rue Anemone has more petaloid sepals, grows in more upland habitats, and has opposite leaves.
False Rue Anemone has four to five petaloid sepals, grows in low woods and moist soils, and has alternate leaves.
Have you ever looked closely at Glechoma hederacea? I'm not sure that I had, until today. This putrid, creeping weed was introduced for ornamental and medicinal purposes in the 1800s. The flowers certainly are pretty, but I can see it being more sought after as an ornamental if the flowers were two or three times the size that they are.
Cardamine hirsuta is one of those weeds that you see so often early in the year that you begin to not even notice it anymore. It flowers and goes to fruit very early in the year, and in May you can hear the seeds exploding from the siliques as you walk through a field where it is present. This mustard truly does have cute little flowers, even though it is introduced.
Another mustard, Cardamine concatenata is native to mesic upland forests, bottomland woods, and rocky bluffs in the eastern half of the United States. You can often find this ephemeral in large colonies in somewhat degraded situations as well as in more intact systems.
Ahh, Claytonia virginica, the genus of which was named for 18th Century botanist John Clayton, certainly is a beautiful sight in spring. Being one of the earliest blooming native plants in this part of the country, my photo library is filled with pictures of this purslane. With a range similar to the previous species, spring beauty can be found in intact woods as well as in disturbed areas such as mowed lawns. The tubers are edible (but should first be cooked), and though small, taste like potatoes.
If you're walking through the woods in April and not paying close attention to the forest floor, you may walk right past Erigenia bulbosa. The flowers of this member of the parsely family have petals up to only 4mm long. Erigenia litterally means "born in the spring," which is why this plant is commonly called "harbinger of spring." The tuber referenced by the specific epithet is supposedly edible, though I've never tried it.
Caltha palustris, one of the more gaudy of the spring wildflowers, is often found in swamps, seeps, and along creeks. It is difficult to not notice this plant in April as you drive past wet areas, as the golden glow given off by a colony of marsh marigolds grabs your attention. This buttercup is native in the northern half of North America, as well as in Eurasia. (By the way, check out that tiny insect hanging out on the petal-like sepal.)Yet others were county records or endangered, threatened, or rare species:
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