The magenta flowers of the Gay Wings, also sometimes called Flowering Wintergreen or Fringed Polygala, is a striking little flower on the forest floor. Sometimes the flowers are more pink or even white in color. The leaves are evergreen. Gay Wings grows in damp, rich woods and is found throughout PA except in the far western counties.
Early to mid-May is when you will find Bluebells blooming at the entrance to Blue Spruce Park.
The area shown here is a part of Center Township known as Yankeetown. There are two theories for the name: (1) the area was settled by New Englanders from Maine who came to work in the local sawmill, and (2) some former residents served as 'Yankees' in the Civil War. For our trail maintenance crew this is one of the more challenging areas to maintain with roads on both sides of the trail and houses nearby.
