Tag Archives: Trilliums

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This wildflower has a horrible name - Fetid Adder's Tongue. It refers to its ill-smelling flower. Scoliopus bigelovii is the Latin name for this orchid-like flower. It blooms in the winter and few are fortunate enough to see it. Craig Tooley recently photographed one. You can see the first bloom is over but the second one is up. The leaves will grow in the weeks and months to come, becoming nearly a foot long is some cases.

I love this first wildflower of the year. It's not more than two inches tall, if that. If you find the distinctive leaves but see no flowers, note the spot. Then next winter you can find the flower in January or February.

I noticed the first Trilliums up, along with Milkmaids - they are early signs that spring is not too far away.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's Coast photography, here is the link: http://ruffimage.com/

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Trilliums, Trillium ovatum, have been blooming for several weeks. When they are young the bloom is white. But when they age a bit the bloom begins to turns pink. I noticed a few pale pink blooms the other day.

 And Redwood Violets have begun to bloom in sunny spots on the forest's edge.

Violet is the flower, not the color, which is obviously bright yellow!

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Yesterday Rick and I saw our first Trilliums of the year on our property in Anchor Bay. Western Trillium, Trillium ovatum, is always a treat to find. But never pick one! It can take years for the plant to recover.

 Below is a Trillium just unfolding.

The flowers are white when young and turn pink as they age. Ants distribute their seeds, as they do for many other plants. Everything is connected - we just need to learn of these connections and respect them. Mother Nature knows what she's doing!

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Most of the Trilliums are done blooming but one large one is bucking the trend. It's pink/purple bloom is a balm for the senses. The rarer Red Clintonia continues to evolve. I thought you'd enjoy seeing its progress. Our native wildflowers are true gifts from Mother Nature.