Trillium Spring

As we were loading the car on Sunday night, I happened to catch a glimpse of a pinkish white flower over in the part of the Hawksbill Cabin yard that we leave to nature, between us and the neighbor.  It is a trillium, specifically trillium grandiflorum, and I was surprised to find it there, since we've never had one before that I can remember.

Trillium is a native understory plant in Appalachian woods.  The timing of its appearance is generally during the month of May in our area, and there is a linkage to the cycle of deciduous trees in the woods.  I once hiked Hightop Mountain in Shenandoah National Park looking for them, but was too late in the season to see many.  (If you are interested in that hike, click the Easy Day Hikes label and search for it.)

Luckily, now it looks like we'll have our own trillium at Hawksbill Cabin. It's a rhizome plant, and according to the Wikipedia article I've linked below, it forms clonal colonies.  So we can hope for its return next spring, and for more of them.

Here are a couple of links for more info on the flower:
http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/wildflowers.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trillium_grandiflorum

Also, here's an Amazon link to a nature guide about our area near Shenandoah National Park: