This is a new wildflower for me, found while hiking at the nearby prairie this past week … one I called “Snow White”, as the color was brilliantly white! As I walked through the woods, to gain entrance into the upper meadow, these beauties were growing at the edge of the woods:
Checking with several of my wildflower ID books, as well as a search on the internet, I have found these to be Starry Campion, aka Catchfly (Silene stellata) wildflowers. The are found statewide in dry, wooded uplands and slopes. The name Silene is named for the Greek god Silanos, a slippery character, and the name stellata is Latin for “star-shaped”. Don’t ya just love nature, never knowing what you’ll find when you get outdoors!