Painted Trillium

The Painted Trillium is one of the prettiest wildflowers in the Smokys. This one grows wild along the Oconaluftee River (Beech Flat's Prong across 441 from the Kanati Trail) on the Cherokee side of the Smokys. It is a small trillium and can be easily overlooked. Please be careful watch your step in this garden. This season the trail is closed until the landslide repairs are done on US 441. The Painted Trillium here will likely be done by the time 441 and related trails reopen. You can find Painted Trilliums elsewhere in the Smokys. You will just have to search likely areas. I know I will be looking for them, too.

Little River Trail Trilliums

These trilliums were found along the Little River Trail in February 2012. So, now is a good time to take a walk along that trail at Elkmont, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Trillium Toadshade sessile

It is almost time for the 2013 Trillium Season. Actually, I have seen my first for the year. Not yet blooming of course but, at the location in the Chattahoochee National forest where I found these last year. The location is on US Hwy. 76 just west of the Chattooga River in Rabun County, Georgia.

This garden is a mess. It is where careless people throw their trash out and it falls among the thriving trilliums. The highway brings people traveling north and south, east and west, thru the mountains to enjoy this beautiful place. A few don't care about the environment we live in and just toss aside whatever they do not want to keep. Here I have found old tires, diapers, beer cans and bottles, cola cans and bottles and just plain old trash. It is not just here. It is along our highways and back roads, in our local parks, state parks and National Parks. I am for beauty. Please, don't trash America.

First Trillium Black Rock Mountain, Georgia

This is a photo of the first Trillium I found last year on March 6, 2012. It was just off the main road going into Black Rock Mountain State Park, Georgia. My first this year was last night February 23 at the Chattooga River along Hwy. 76. I didn't take a photo yet of it. The 2013 trillium season has begun!

Tennessee Rock Trail

One of the main trails in Black Rock Mountain State Park is the Tennessee Rock Trail. This trail goes thru a variety of wild plant habitats. And, in places here is an abundance of trilliums, as well as, other wildflowers and forests. Here are similar trilliums but, as you look closely the color of the flowers are not the same.

Tough Trillium

Some trilliums are quite tough and are not. This one is of a tough variety. I found it growing along the road above the spring house at Black Rock Mountain State Park. This is an area where trilliums and a lot of other wildflowers grow near the Spring House. There is a trail that meanders thru the bed of flowers with signs along it saying not to leave the trail in this sensitive area. Last year after the tornados downed trees someone came in with heavy tracked equipment to remove the fallen trees. There did not seem to be much care in the clean up. Just my opinion on the matter. This year I shall return to see how much damage was really done in this sensitive area. I am hoping many of these tough wildflowers will return in spite of the treatment they endured.

Special Places

Young people probably will never have seen an oil can like this. But, someone left it along with several more in a bed of trillium many years ago. As you can see, it takes decades to recycle products like these in nature. Please, pack out and properly dispose of trash rather than discard it in a natural garden or forest.