Star Chickweed, Stellaria pubera
Caryophyllaceae or Pink Family

Low, mounding plant with conspicuous bright white flowers, about a half inch wide.  The flowers have 5 white petals, but each petal is so deeply divided into two, that there often appear to be 10 petals.  The leaves are long oval, opposite each other and nearly stalkless.  Blooms in early to mid-spring.

Native woodland plant, very common along the trails on the western slope of the Park, occasional elswhere.

The alien weed, common chickweed (Stellaria media), has much smaller, inconspicuous flowers, and leaves that are more egg-shaped and long-stalked. Mouse-ear chickweed, also an alien weed, has smaller flowers with petals notched about halfway, and fuzzy leaves.   Rue anemone, which blooms at the same time, could be confused with star chickweed at first glance, but it has smaller, 3-lobed leaves and 5 to 10 petal-like sepals, the number varying from flower to flower.