"Out & About" Photo Blog: Trilliums -- May 6th, 2012

Jane & I grabbed our cameras and went out to see Trilliums today. Trilliums are the most popular member of the spring ephemerals for most of us. The ephemerals have to bloom before the trees fully leaf out and cut off the sun that reaches the forest floor. They only have a few more weeks left.

Most of the ephemerals, including Marsh Marigolds, Bellwort, Violets, etc. tend to grow in small groups. It's the Trilliums that put on the real show, with 100s or 1000s of them growing together, carpeting the forest floor or stretching up a hillside.

Two of our favourite spots for Trilliums are Trowbridge Park in north Oshawa and Purple Woods Conservation Area north of the city. We went to both today. If I miss the Trillium show I feel that I've missed the call of Spring. We didn't miss it this year.

There are a few 100 reds mixed in with the whites at both Trowbridge and Purple Woods.

It's good to get some shots of individual Trilliums or small groups, but it's when I see the 100s or 1000s together that I stop & soak it in. Pictures just can't do them justice... you have to be standing amongst them in the forest.

It's always good to see some reds but most of them have the non-cooperative habit of keeping their heads down. I think they have weaker stems than the whites. These were at Enniskillen Conservation Area. I always try to get up there every spring too. All the Trilliums there are red ones and the main grouping is close to the parking lot. You may see a white one here and there but we didn't see any today.

This year has been a special one for Red Admiral butterflies. They have arrived by the 1000s. You see them flying through your yard and pretty much everywhere else you go too. One official observer has said he's been observing them for 40 years and has never seen anything like it. They fly fast, almost looking like large bugs as they flash by.