Trillium grandiflorum at Fort Ancient (Ohio's state wildflower)

This evening after dinner, Rick and I headed up to Fort Ancient to see if the Trillium grandiflorum plants I spotted in bud earlier this month along the steep hillside trail that leads down to the Little Miami River were still blooming. If you're familiar with the area, you know the Fort Ancient hill trail is fun--not only is it steep (it takes between 11 and 15 minutes to reach the top at a nice clip for a great workout), but more importantly, Trillium flexipes, Trillium sessile and Trillium grandiflorum flow down along the path in huge sweeps. Our goal was to find Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered Trillium) because the plant is missing from the Little Miami River near the powder factory where I hang out. We hoped the blooms were still fresh, and we weren't too late for the show...

...looks like we arrived for the last act because the blooms were already starting to turn pink,

an indication of advanced age and pollination.

...ruffly petals and yellow anthers (the part of the stamen that holds the pollen) help identify Trillium grandiflorum.

The grandiflorum blossom tops a long stem (peduncle), making it similar to Trillium flexipes,

but very different from Trillium sessile.

...the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has a nice description of Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) on their site and explains why you should never pick a trillium--the flower soon wilts, and without the leaves to feed the roots, the plant dies. They also explain why seed growth is not a quick fix--ants carry the seeds to their nests where they eat the outside coating (strophiole) and then discard the seeds unscathed, but even though the seeds will sprout the following spring, it will take at least 6 years before the plants will flower!

...even though the blossom is nearing its end, it's still beautiful...

I saw this Trillium grandiflorum blossom on April 3 along the Fort Ancient hillside trail.

I was just a little too early for the show then...

This is what a bright white Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), Ohio's officail state wildflower, looks like soon after opening! (Unfortunately, I couldn't find any fresh flowers today on the Fort Ancient trail. I photographed this plant on May 1, 2010 at the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve in Urbana, Ohio.)

For more information and beautiful photos of this gorgeous flower, head over to Riverdaze. Grizz just posted on Trillium grandiflorum too!

Sessile Trillium and a hidden Garter Snake

Sessile Trillium (Trillium sessile) is blooming all along the Little Miami River. To really appreciate its beautiful blossom, get down on your knees and have a look. The veining in the dark maroon petals are the star of the show, but its structure is just as interesting. If you look "sessile" up in Webster's dictionary, you'll find: "attached directly by the base; not raised upon a stalk or peduncle," which perfectly describes this little early spring maroon-colored trillium...

A fully opened blossom of Trillium sessile sits directly atop the leaves. It couldn't have come with a more descriptive name!

...even before a Sessile Trillium bloom opens, the maroon veining in the three outer sepals is striking.

Surprise...an Eastern Garter Snake! When you're sprawled on the ground in the early spring communing with the flowers, don't forget other things like to sprawl (or coil) on the ground too. Thank goodness I LOVE snakes, otherwise, I would have been in for quite a fright. This fellow was coiled up about 4 feet from me. He blended in to the leaves so well I didn't see him until I was almost on top of him. It was cold...and he didn't even bother to move...

The first thing I do when I spot a snake is look at its eye. If the pupil is round, like the pupil on this Eastern Garter Snake, it is non-venomous and safe. If the pupil is elliptical, back away. It is venomous and can do some damage!

...the outer sepals will soon give way to the blossom within.

Sessile Trillium is also called Toadshade Trillium. I can totally imagine a toad finding shelter under the broad leaves...

..sets of three. The geometry of a trillium is part of its mystique.

...bright yellow pollen glows against the maroon petals.

...the sun backlights a petal of Trillium sessile, emphasizing the veining through the translucent petal.

The emergence of spring in the foothills of Appalachia...

It was chilly Saturday morning and threatening rain, so before leaving for Adams Lake State Park, I stopped in the Shawnee Lodge gift shop and bought a wool hat for the morning part of the trip. It didn't seem like spring, but it was...

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) pushes through decaying leaf litter leaving winter's brown behind and defining spring green.

...this curled brown leaf seems to be clawing at the tiny Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), fancifully representing winter's attempt to hold back the emergence of spring (winter seems to be losing...thank goodness).

The green and white stripes of a Puttyroot Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale) leaf appear rough and weathered. The leaf sprouted in fall, lived through the winter, and is now starting to die back. Soon a bloom will push through...spring is here!

Trillium, green and lush, lays its leaves flat over crispy, dead leaves, trying to hide any memory of winter. If you look carefully, you can see the bare trees of winter reflected in a pool of water in the upper left half of the top leaf. You can also see me leaning in to take the photo...I didn't plan that...just noticed winter is trying to show its face any way it can! :-)

Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) emerges with an electric glow from winter's clutch. (I'm not sure about the ID of this one...is it pink Rue Anemone?)

...a spent Hepatica petal reminds us that spring and the spring ephemerals pass quickly and summer isn't far behind....

This little wildflower hunt I went on has a name--it's called The Annual Adams County Ohio Lilliputian Mustard Expedition! Jim McCormac (of Ohio Birds and Biodiversity) created and led this expedition and has posted the details on his blog (click here). I'll write more about the trip in the coming days, but head to Jim's blog to read about the details now. Why Lilliputian? Because the mustard plants are tiny! I never knew such tiny gems existed. I'm so glad I went on the trip and was introduced to a whole new world. I'll have a few shots of the tiny mustards in the days ahead... Thanks, Jim!!