No trilliums.
I waited a few days and went back alone. Bending down to look at an emerging Spring Beauty leaf, I nearly tripped over the little thing. 
There were supposed to be dozens! hundreds! but this and a few other sprouts were all that I found. I waited two days and went back.
Still just a few flowers – I wondered if the others had been poached – but it made me appreciate these all the more.
Soil requirements for Snow Trilliums are different than for other trilliums. They are uncommon in Ohio and threatened or endangered in other parts of the upper midwestern U.S.
As trilliums go, these are small, about 3" (7.5 cm) tall.
Early in the week, O and I were sitting at the kitchen table, admiring Wood Ducks in the trees across the river, when he excitedly exclaimed, “Beaver! Beaver! Beaver!” I looked at the water and saw a large brown form racing downstream. I noticed it was headed toward the Corn-er, so I grabbed the camera and ran out the door.
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21 comments:
Happy Spring to you too! Sometimes reading your posts really makes me miss the midwest. The trillium are lovely. I miss the gradual progression of the spring...
Oh, Nicole. Reading YOUR posts makes me miss the North, long summer days, snow to my armpits, Northern Lights. The grass is always greener, I guess.
I don't believe I've ever seen a snow trillium or even a beaver, but I am watching for the bloodroot blooms and the cute mayapple shoots. Enjoy Spring, Jain!
Yes, happy spring and happy critters. My Muskoka had a tadpole last week. It's hiding today with the cold. Great video, I love the woodpecker in the background!
Those are some really nice Snow Trillium photos. There are some populations that grow close to here, but I have none at Blue Jay Barrens. Temperatures make it feel like we missed spring and jumped on into summer. The plants are really coming on fast.
Hey, you were getting fairly close to my bailiwick when you came to Clifton Gorge—maybe a 30-minute drive from here.
There are several other places with snow trilliums around here—with one if the finest being at Taylorsville Dam Metropark, east of Vandalia. There's at least least one whole woodsy hillside near the Great Miami River that's white with these little trilliums. A real show.
I know of a half-dozen other sites around here, too. But maybe you can find a place nearer your home with just as prolific a display. It's raining here today, but I may try and dodge the showers and see if I can check on those Taylorsville blooms.
Had a beaver year last year—came downstream a couple of evenings; but haven't seen it since.
Wow! I've never seen those flowers before, Jain. They're gorgeous. Already full of insects, too. What a delight.
And how cool on the beaver. Though we have them here and their damns are easy to find, I've yet to get photos of them. So I get to envy yours!
By the way, I had to laugh about this post because you were enjoying relative warmth and spring flowers while we were getting snow. Not fair, I say!
Happy Spring to you, Jain! Those little Trilium are just delightful. I have to go out this afternoon and search for Mayapple sprouts. I know they are out there, waiting to take over our back woods!
What a great post, Jain! Trilliums are not native to my part of the Piedmont, so it is great to see them emerging. I know that trilliums are deer candy--do you think that that's why their numbers may have been reduced near your office?
And, congrats on the beaver...sort of. Environmentally sensitive colleagues of mine who work for a municipal park that was recently colonized by a single beaver were wondering if they ought to ask the game guys to trap it out for them; they can't afford to lose any more trees.
Wanda, oh good! Another mayapple shoot appreciator! :o) And aren't bloodroots just the prettiest things as they unfurl? Love 'em!
Thank you, Steve, very much. I hope some of the neighboring Snow Trilliums drift into the Barrens over time. It was warm here for a few days but felt like Winter again today.
Griz, Clifton Gorge(ous) is a special place; I wish I could get there more often. I would love to see a hillside full of these some day!
Jason, I look forward to seeing one of your beaver photos some day.
As one of the finest naturalist- photographers on the web, I'm always blown away by your visits here and your compliments. Thank you.
Jenn (I replied here then lost it - sorry!), if I were a tadpole, I'd disappear in the cold, too! Glad you liked the video; unfortunately, it loses a lot when it transfers here -
but the tail is still there, I think, proving my claim!
Jain, How lovely! I like the way you let us see the little things. I would say I'd love to walk through your woods--but whenever I read your blog, I feel like I already am!
-Kay
Kay, that's the best compliment of all... thank you!
Scott, good point, there certainly are enough deer here to do some real damage. This was a heavily used location, so my first reaction was to blame humans. . . although human manipulation of the land is responsible for great deer numbers, so it circles back around.
There were some big trees here in the beginning, then we planted a few hundred more, just for wildlife. We're just passing through, it's the critters who own the place, as we see it. They're welcome to the trees if they want them; we'll plant more. And more.
I have never seen a Snow Trilliums before. I don’t think that we have them here. They look lovely, true spring beauty!
vrtlarica, they last only a few days which makes them extra special. I'm glad you liked them!
Snow trilliums! Wow! I've never seen them. My virginia bluebells are about like yours. And as far as the ghost deer, We had a piebald one year, the next an albino one. Neither lasted through hunting season, We heard of the man who bragged about killing it. Whoopee for the big strong hunter who can shoot a deer that is very easy to see, undersize and unique.
Beyond The Garden, I've seen Snow Trilliums only 4 times or so, and I'm smitten with them every time.
I think this is the 3rd year for Ghost Deer and I'm astounded the many hunters around here haven't killed her yet. She must be very clever during hunting season. May she die of old age one day.
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