I have to show you something! Deep in the woods that are a part of the walking trails at the Lakeland Animal Shelter, I made an exciting discovery, well, exciting for a plant person like me. While walking on the trails with a dog companion, it is crucial to place all of your attention on the dog and what they are doing, but I am also on the lookout for new flora and fauna who have joined our ever-evolving fields and forest.
About seven years ago, on the northern edge of the woods buried deep in the brambles, I spotted a very unusual bloom—a single Turtle Trillium or Prairie Trillium (Trillium recurvatum). Its maroon blossom was surrounded by foliage marked by dark green blotches, resembling the coloration on a turtle’s shell. This amazing plant waits five to ten years from seed to first bloom and is considered endangered in many states. It is a spring ephemeral meaning the plant yellows and dies back, disappearing after blooming. To see one requires perfect timing and a great deal of luck.
Fast forward to this spring, when I spotted another Turtle Trillium, this time on the southern edge of the walking trails, again buried deep in the woods. What a miracle to find the trilliums had found another perfect place to grow! With fingers crossed, I began my visual search of the northern edges of the woods, hoping the single trillium I had seen those years ago had somehow survived, There it was, in almost the same location, this time surrounded by nine or ten additional Turtle Trilliums. Another of Mother Nature’s miracles! Enjoy the photos!
