The Search for Trillium

“…in May look for the red-purple trillium, Trillium erectum, starting about a quarter mile from the Drive; it’s rare elsewhere in the Park.” – From Heatwole’s Guide to Shenandoah National Park


As I set out on my hike to the Hightop summit on Sunday morning, there were two things I had in the back of my mind – one of them was the hope of seeing some Trillium flowers, even though it is late in the season for them, and the other was to keep an eye out for the flower “Pink Lady Slipper” although I knew this one was unlikely since it is already late spring.

I wasn’t disappointed in my search for Trillium, and even though the flowers I saw ranged in colors from pink to red, it would be hard for me to say which variety I saw – the typical variety you hear about in the Park is white, but a fter it peaks, it blushes to pink before it fades. I think I may have seen both varieties - the Trillium erectum were too far off the trail to get a good phone cam shot.

I also saw hardy geraniums (a favorite), violets, mountain azaleas at the peak, and glades of ferns and blackberries.

Here are two Wikipedia links on the main flowers I was looking for:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypripedium_acaule

And don’t forget, the invaluable Heatwole guide is now available as a web-based reference:

http://www.guidetosnp.com/web/