The Thrill of the Trillium

Thanks to the few people who were brave enough to answer the riddles of the Northern Sphinx. Those who responded get their way! Everybody I heard from wanted me to go ahead and post out of season photos, so I'll start with these. (Loading up the time-travel capsule to late May - early June.) About the time I let things lapse for most of the summer, trilliums were blooming all through the woods where Baloo and I walk.  

The most common one around here is the Trillium Grandiflorum.They are grand, indeed!  

One of the lovely things about these spring ephemerals is that they change color as they age, blushing a very pretty pink after going through the white phase.

Here is a picture of three blooms of different ages. Whole hillsides can be covered with these blossoms creating quite a breathtaking scene. 

In this picture, you can see the subject of June's Stampeaz invoice image. No, it isn't the big, black puppy face in the foreground - look closely for a bit of pink just to the left of his nose.  The protected pink lady slipper was one of my mother's favorite wildflowers.  I expect there will be more detailed pictures in the coming days, but Baloo had to put his two whiskers' worth into the post, right?