Snow has begun to melt off the Carden Alvar now in late March and water is forming large pools on the surface of the land. These will turn into large ponds, even lakes as the early April rains add to the surface water, and the rest of the snow melts. The many White-tailed Deer are now moving out of their winter yards under the cedar and hemlock trees in the swamps between the patches of alvars and now roam freely over the meadows and limestone bedrocks. The leaves of last years Prairie Smoke can be seen now that the snow has gone and the early growth of Early Saxifrage.
This plant that gets its names meaning ‘the rock breaker’ is one of the first to bloom on the alvar. The white blooms will be evident in this area a month from now and lasting into late May. These white blooms will be closely followed by the bright yellow blooms of Early 
Buttercups turning the alvar meadows into seas of white and yellows in May. About the same time as the woods are full of the white and red blooms of the trilliums and alvars are covered with the white and yellow blooms of these plants which will have all but disappeared by the first day of June. More white will be added in May by Bastard Toadflax, Field Chickweed, and Rock Sandwort. Dogwood, Hawthorn, Fragrant Sumac, Meadowsweet, Juneberry, Plum, and Cherry shrubs will add white, cream, and yellow colours to the landscape.
The beautiful flowers of Wild Columbine will also be in bloom along the roadsides and open alvars. Some early flowers from plants in the mustard family will also add to the yellow and white landscape. One of the best displays of spring blooms is by Mossy Stonecrop. Carpets of yellow blooms from this low, creeping plant growing on open limestone areas add a profusion of colour to limestone grey. Yellow is also supported by the late May blooms of Barren Strawberry growing along roadsides or on the alvar in areas of deeper soil. Common Strawberry blossoms from the same family add to the white. By June New Jersey Tea will add to the whites while St. John’s-worts and cinquefoils will add to the yellows. Harebells will add touches of blue, Indian Paintbrush (Painted Cup) orange, and Hairy Beardtongue, pink at this time of year. Smaller flowers like Thyme-leaved Speedwell, Purslane Speedwell, Smaller Skullcap, False Pennyroyal, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Common, and Mouse-eared chickweeds may go unnoticed.
