Tag Archives: Western Trilliums

Amy Ruegg went out on a local trail last Sunday and while she found trees down because of the recent storms, she also found early wildflowers. Milkmaids, Cardamine californica, are blooming now. They are members of the Mustard family.

Amy also found Western Trilliums, Trillium ovatum.  This photo shows one covered in raindrops. The white blossom tells you it is freshly bloomed. The blossom will turn pink and then darker still in the days ahead as it "ages."

And lastly, Amy found Wild Ginger, Asarum caudatum.

Wonderful to see! Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

It's a lovely day here on the Mendonoma Coast today, sunny with little breeze, and temps briefly hit 70 degrees!

Always lovely to see, Western Trilliums are in bloom on the Mendonoma Coast now. Tricia Schuster photographed one of the first ones to bloom.

Promise me you won't pick them! If picked, the leaf-like bracts won't be there to produce food for next year. Picking trilliums can kill them, or at the very least, set them back for years. So not worth it, right?

Western Trillium blossoms change color as they age. Here's a photo Craig Tooley took some years ago showing the fresh white trillium and an older trillium, perhaps 5 to 7 days older, with a pink blossom.

Thanks to Tricia and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com

Another sunny, warm, dry - as in no rain for weeks - day. New flash! The first of the northbound Gray Whales have been seen of our coast. These are the newly pregnant females headed to their feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

Milkmaids, Cardamine californica, are members of the Mustard Family. They are one of the earliest blooming wildflowers on the Mendonoma coast. Jinx McCombs recently found one in bloom.

Western Trilliums, Trillium ovatum, are up too! Rick and I found a half dozen today in the forest. Members of the Lily Family, they are sometimes called Wake Robin because their bloom can coincide with American Robins returning from their wintering grounds. Here is one just appearing on the forest floor.

Native wildflowers are a treat to find. Thanks to Jinx for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

We are having warm, dry weather. It doesn't feel like winter here on the Mendonoma coast today. No rain in the forecast for the next week. We may have to start planning for a rain dance.

Richard Kuehn took a walk on the bluffs recently and photographed three wildflowers. The first photo shows Seaside Daisies.

Seaside Daisies by Richard Kuehn

And Footsteps-of Spring.

Footsteps-of-Spring by Richard Kuehn

And a lovely Douglas Iris.

Douglas Iris by Richard Kuehn

Wildflowers are blooming along shady forest paths too. Western Trilliums have begun their bloom.

Trillium heaven by Jon Raymond (Large)

Redwood Violets, Milk Maids, and the first Redwood Sorrel are also blooming.

The first three photos are by Rich and the last photo is from Jon Raymond. I thank them both for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Western Trilliums are blooming in the forest. Phil Wendt recently photographed a nice group of these delicate wildflowers.

Below is a Trillium kissed by raindrops. It's darker, pink blossom tells you it is older. Trilliums are white when they first bloom.

Never pick this wildflower. If you do, it will not receive the nutrients it needs to bloom again next year. It takes years for a Trillium to recover from being picked. Just leave them be and they will bloom for many days.

Thanks to Phil for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see Phil's website, Life on the Edge, here is the link: www.philwendt.com