Draba verna, Vernal Whitlow Grass

Little Draba verna is a mustard that flowers very early. It tends to cover a lot of sandy and gravelly places, and is also quite frequent in ag fields that have not yet been planted. In the classic "Sand County Almanac," Aldo Leopold called Draba "a small creature that does a small job quickly and well." It is very possible, however, that he was talking about the related Draba reptans, a sand country native.

Photographed in the horseman's campground at Potato Creek State Park, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on March 6, 2012.

Cute as a Button

While my nieces were searching for the Easter eggs I hid around our yard this afternoon, I noticed that the diminutive white flowers of Draba verna were open. Although I was mostly taking photos of the egg hunt, I couldn't resist taking a photo of this cute little mustard.