This morning’s walk was back on Trinidad Head and to my surprise the trillium have finally started to bloom! Multiple new sprouts have also broken thru the surface and started to mature. I am so relieved that they are all still there. For a few weeks I worried that mischievous behavior had befallen them.
As I marveled over their natural beauty and began taking pics, another hiker came up the trail. His thought was that maybe their two-three week lag behind the other headland (Elk Head) was due to a difference in salinity. Maybe. At any rate, I am overjoyed to bear witness to their continued existence.
Trillium are a seasonal wildflower that some people foolishly discount as just a common plant in forest environments. But here’s the thing, trillium are very sensitive native plants, and if provoked, can go dormant 3-5 years. In addition, one can easily destroy the plant by picking it’s beautiful bloom. A mistake made way too often by ignorance. FYI: the bloom doesn’t like to be picked and will turn brown very quickly afterwards. Trillium are not like a commercially grown flower bred to be a cut flower, so please resist the temptation.
If the Covid pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that one should never take anything for granted. Nature has its own time clock and set parameters. Nothing is a given, and finding joy and beauty along the trail is a gift. A gift I am happy to share via this blog. Enjoy my pics! #iluvtowalk #baxteronthego #trinidadcalifornia #humboldtcounty #humboldt
#nativeplants
Perspectives From My Trail 