Trillium in Bloom, Olympic National Park
Although not as colorful, but closer to home than the tulip fields, Sequimites like me love to find trilliums in the forest. They cost nothing to view or photograph, require no cultivation techniques, or care, and they too are an indication that spring has arrived; which makes me wonder who coined the term “April Showers bring May flowers”?
But aside from that, trilliums are unique in that:
- by picking one you can seriously injure the plant and may prevent it from producing food for the next year, and the plant will eventually take many years to recover, or die!
- picking them is illegal, and…you could get arrested!
- trilliums are especially unique because they produce a chemical that is technically called an elaisome, a syrup that attracts insects.
- from a planted seed, it takes approximately five to nine years for the Great White Trillium to bloom! So when you see a massive number of these in spring, you know you’re looking at a bunch of plants that are at least a decade old, probably much older.
- since the late nineties, the trillium, a member of the lily family, has been a symbol of bisexuality. This symbol came to be used on the Mexican bisexual flag in 2001, showing how nature can intertwine with larger themes such as love and the freedom to love regardless of gender.
Remember, you read it here first!
