Sheila’s Spring Wildflowers

20.05.2024 - 08:21 / finegardening.com / GPOD Contributor

Hello and happy Monday, GPODers!

When I checked the GPOD inbox last week I was excited to see another person who had recently gone “plant watching” and shared some photos from a walk through nature:

Hello, this is Sheila Abair from Vermont. I had to share these wildflower pictures from a walk this morning. I can identify the trilliums and I think ostrich ferns. It was a beautiful experience. Hope you enjoy them.

From the pictures Sheila sent over, it’s clear that spring wildflowers are in full affect in Vermont, with flowering trees giving them some color competition. With plenty of plants still sprouting and putting out new foliage, I can only imagine how lush this spot is in peak season. But now that we’ve seen some spring landscapes from the Northeast, I would love to see what’s blooming in other parts of the country! If you’re enjoying the sights and sounds of nature near you, take some photos and let us know what you’re seeing.

Sheila was spot on with her identification of trilliums. Here, tons of the iconic great white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum, Zones 4–8) are sprinkled across the forest floor.

And trilliums are just as stunning in a close-up. Trilliums are one of those natives that desperately deserve more love. Like many natives, trilliums have suffered from the impact humans have had on their natural growing environments, which has caused the population of several species to decline dramatically. While I’m happy to see these great white trilliums thriving near Sheila, there are still several species that are considered endangered. Learn more about rare, endangered trilliums from the U.S. Forest Service.

On a lighter, brighter note, these yellow marsh marigolds (Caltha palustris, Zones 3–7) are always a