These ghostly white structures (slightly bleached in the flash) are found on the north-facing slope south of the W&OD bike path between Wiehle Ave and Isaac Newton Square - a very shaded, damp, cool spot. They are so-called "fiddleheads", rolled up new fronds of a fern. See this Wikipedia entry.
Nearby some of the fronds have begun to unroll. Based upon its appearance, as well as some fully unrolled specimens nearby, I think this might be cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, formerly Osmunda connamomea, see this Wikipedia entry and this Illinois description). If this identification is correct, then I should be seeing the distinctive cinnamon-colored fertile leaves within the next couple of months.
Meanwhile, the sassafras trees (Sassafras albidum) are nearly finished blooming, and leaves are now emerging from the same bud centers that had borne the flowers. This particular image is from the same tree on the W&OD bike path just west of Michael Faraday Drive that was also featured in this post from 10 days previously.
In a few cases, as on this specimen halfway between Michael Faraday Drive and Sunset Hills Road, one can already see the characteristic trident-shaped leaves emerging in the sassafras.
Near the sassafras in the previous image is this old vine with the new year's growth of three-part leaves beginning to emerge. As the old saying goes, "leaves of three, let it be" - this is poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, see the Virginia Tech data sheet).
The devil's walking sticks (Aralia spinosa) that were just beginning to sprout from the winter's remnant stick ten days ago (see this post) have now put on a sizable growth, and the doubly pinnate shape of their large leaves is becoming apparent, as on this specimen on the north side of the W&OD bike path between Wiehle Avenue and Isaac Newton Square.
Further along the bike path, just west of Isaac Newton Square, is a large grove of young ailanthus or Tree of Heaven trees (Ailanthus altissima). Like the devil's walking sticks, the young ailanthus die back to a bare stem in the winter, with new growth sprouting forth from the top in the spring, as shown here. But this species has smooth stems rather than those ferocious spikes and thorns seen on the Aralia!
