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TRILLIUM CERNUUM BLOOMS IN THE WISSAHICKON VALLEY

THE SANGUINE ROOT VISITS WISSAHICKON VALLEY PARK IN HOPES OF FINDING TRILLIUM CERNUUM IN BLOOM.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

 

The shapes of the leaves.  The recurved white petals.  The striking color of the stamens.  The way the flower blooms below the leaves.  What isn’t there to love?

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

 

This is the first fresh bloom we have actually seen in three years of frequenting this site.  We would always end up being too late or too early.  But on this May Day of 2011, we were right on time.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

 

The Trillium cernuum reminds us of a Mayapple, the way it has a beautiful, shy flower underneath the leaf.  The two plants also seem to bloom at exactly the same time in the Wissahickon Valley Park.

 

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

This is what Trillium cernuum looks like at first glance, from a human eye point of view.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

But natural beauty is often found from more subtle viewpoints.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

We wonder what kind of relationship this Trillium has with insects.  You can see on the petal to the right a potential pollinating insect.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

Again, we would like to note that there is a certain resemblance between the Trillium cernuum and the Mayapple.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

Here we have a variety of species growing together: Trillium cernuum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Podophyllum peltatum, Smilacina racemosa. Isabelle Dijols is appreciative of this diverse ecosystem.

Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

It is a rare occurrence to find Trillium cernuum in the Fairmount Park system of Philadelphia.  To find them in bloom is a really special occasion for us.

 

Uvularia perfoliata blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Uvularia perfoliata blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

We also had never see Uvularia perfoliata growing in the wild before.  The flower is even more beautiful than what we anticipated.

Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

The common name “nodding trillium” seems quite appropriate in this particular picture.

Arisaema triphyllum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Arisaema triphyllum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

We found Trillium cernuum in the immediate vicinity of Arisaema triphyllum, and Podophyllum peltatum.

Podophyllum peltatum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Podophyllum peltatum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
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BLOOMING PINXTERBLOOM AZALEA IN FULL BLOOM DAY 2

THE SUN FULLY ILLUMINATES THE HUNDREDS OF BLOOMS ON THIS SPECTACULAR NATIVE SHRUB GROWING ON THE RICH UPLAND FOREST OF MORRIS PARK

Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

Rhododendron periclymenoides

Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

On a cloudy day, this flower lights the place up. On a sunny day, the flowers are transformed into sparkling orbs bursting forth from this normally unassuming woodland shrub.

Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

After we saw this, we purchased another one at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education where they have a Spring Native Plant sale this weekend.

Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

We are happy that the nursery trade has been able to cultivate this native woodland shrub and there is a market for it.  It is a long process (years) by seed, so its propagation is best done by cuttings.  Our new specimen is only about 11 inches tall, with  a few branches.  Still , this must have taken some time and care to create, and we are overjoyed at its commercial availability.  We can only imagine how many years it will take to look like this naturally occurring upland forest beauty here in Morris Park.

Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

We have been keeping a close eye on the area around the shrub.  We remove the invasive vegetation that grows on it and around it, such as Japanese Honeysuckle, and Garlic Mustard.  We have been pulling Japanese Stiltgrass from nearby as well.  Asiatic bittersweet looms in the vicinity, and we see shoots come up from time to time which we immediately yank out.   However, the most ominous and alarming invasive is the Aralia elata, the Japanese angelica tree, which is growing only 25 feet from this shrub.

Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia
Pinxter-Bloom Azalea blooms in Morris Park, Philadelphia

However, on this sunny and balmy spring day at the very end of April, we are very happy to see the Pinxterbloom Azalea in full bloom.