Tag: Fillmore Glen

Discovering Trillium Species: Beauty in Diversity

A reflective springtime journey through Robert H. Treman and Fillmore Glen State Parks reveals the quiet beauty and botanical mysteries of red and white trilliums—exploring their species differences, color shifts, and the wonder of their ephemeral blooms.

MichaelStephenWills41 Comments

Click me for my Getty flower photography.

Late April – Robert H. Treman State Park

I follow a winding trail through hemlock and maple woods, the air cool and earthy after a spring rain. Under the canopy of budding leaves, I spot a flash of deep burgundy among the moss. Kneeling, I find a red trillium blooming at the base of an old oak. Its three velvety petals are a rich wine color against the green moss and damp leaf litter. A faint musky scent wafts from the flower – no wonder some call it “Stinking Benjamin.” Nearby stands another trillium, but this one is a pristine white star facing upward toward the light. Its broad petals have a gentle wavy edge and no noticeable odor. The red flower droops modestly while the white one opens itself to the sky. Different in color and posture, I realize these are two distinct species1 sharing the same springtime stage.

Red trilliums (Trillium erectum) and white trilliums (Trillium grandiflorum) thrive side by side on the mossy roots of a tree. The maroon “wake robin” flowers nod toward the earth, while the white blooms stand upright to catch the light.

Seeing the red and white blooms side by side feels like meeting two woodland siblings – each unique yet part of the same family. The white trillium is almost luminous in the forest gloom, while the red trillium blends into the shadows with its dark hues. Both emerge from the soil after long, cold months, timing their bloom for the brief sunny window before the trees fully leaf out. Knowing how slowly these perennials grow and how long they live makes their yearly return even more special to witness. Their resilience in coming back each spring fills me with quiet awe.

Early May – Fillmore Glen State Park

A week later, I wander the lush gorge of Fillmore Glen. The trail is alive with birdsong and the rush of a creek. Dappled sunlight slips through the greening canopy, illuminating patches of the forest floor. Rounding a bend, I catch my breath — the hillside ahead is blanketed with hundreds of white trilliums, a breathtaking constellation of blooms across the ground that feels almost sacred. Careful not to tread on any, I step closer to admire them at eye level.

Up close, one large white trillium reveals a surprise: a delicate wash of pink across its aging petals, as if it were blushing. It’s known that after pollination the snow-white petals of Trillium grandiflorum often turn rose-pink with age2. Indeed, many blossoms here wear a faint pink tint, especially those that have been open for a while. This blush of maturity gives the colony a quietly celebratory air – fresh ivory blooms mingling with older siblings tinted softly rose.

The petals of a white trillium take on a soft pink blush as the flower ages, adding a new hue to the spring palette. Fresh white trilliums bloom in the background while older ones show a rosy tint.

In a shaded nook at the edge of the colony, a lone red trillium blooms among the white. I wonder if the red and white trilliums ever hybridize. I see no intermediate colors and recall that the white trillium rarely hybridizes with other species3. The red trillium, by contrast, can swap pollen with certain close relatives, yielding various forms elsewhere. But a true red–white cross never occurs here – each species keeps to its own.

Trillium bloom April through May in central New York State. I found these blooming on the rim of Fillmore Glen near Owasco Lake and the town of Moravia.

The red trillium even has a rare white-petaled form4 easily mistaken for its white-flowered cousin. I linger a bit longer among these graceful “trinity flowers,” my questions answered and my appreciation deepened. As I turn to go, a sunbeam breaks through and illuminates one last trillium by the trail, its white petals touched with pink. I smile, grateful for the chance to witness this woodland wonder.

Click me for another Trillium posting

Enter your email to receive notification of future postings. I will not sell or share your email address.

Footnotes

  1. Different species: Red trillium and white trillium are separate species (Trillium erectum and Trillium grandiflorum, respectively), distinguished by traits like flower orientation and petal shapeidentifythatplant.com.
  2. White petals turn pink: The large white trillium’s petals are pure white upon opening but gradually develop a rose-pink or purple tint as the flower agesnj.gov.
  3. Rare hybridization: Unlike some trilliums that hybridize readily, Trillium grandiflorum (white trillium) is not known to form hybrids with other speciesen.wikipedia.org. Trillium erectum can hybridize with its close relatives, but a red–white trillium cross is not observed in nature.
  4. White form of red trillium: Trillium erectum (normally red) has a variety with white petals, classified as T. erectum var. album, which can be mistaken for a white trillium at a glancemidatlanticnature.blogspot.com.

Purple-flowered Raspberry

Among our Gorges

MichaelStephenWills2 Comments

“Rubus odoratus, the purple-flowered raspberry, flowering raspberry, Virginia raspberry, or Thimbleberry is a species of Rubus, native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Ontario and Wisconsin, and south along the Appalachian Mountains as far as Georgia and Alabama.”

Purple-flowered Raspberry Growing Within Treman Gorge

“Rubus odoratus is a shrub growing to 3 meters (10 feet) tall, with perennial, not biennial, stems (unlike many other species in the genus). Also, unlike most other related species this plant does not have thorns.”

“The leaves are palmately lobed with five (rarely three or seven) lobes, up to 25 cm (10 inches) long and broad, superficially resembling maple leaves. The flowers are 3–5 cm (1.2–2 inches) in diameter, with five magenta or occasionally white petals; they are produced from early spring to early fall. The red edible fruit matures in late summer to early autumn, and resembles a large, flat raspberry with many drupelets, and is rather fuzzy to the touch and tongue.”

We find Purple-flowering Raspberry in the gorges of the Finger Lakes Region of Central New York State where it finds partial shade, rich, slightly acid soil and moderate water. “It is locally naturalized in parts of Washington State and also in Europe, notably southeastern England.”

My photograph captures all flowering forms of this member of the Rose family. This specimen was blooming in August within the shade of Fillmore Glen in the Finger Lakes of New York State.

Reference: text in italics and quotes paraphrased from Wikipedia “Rubus odoratus.”

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Ghost Pipes that grow in the dark

chlorophyll free

MichaelStephenWills

I found these popping up from leaf litter, a mixture of last year’s maple and elm, on an August morning. The dappled light, varied from bright to very dark, exceeded the dynamic range of my equipment, so I set up the Sony dslr Alpha700 with the Sony lens DT 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 on a tripod and, using the remote feature, placed the flash at an optimal angle.

“Monotropa uniflora, also known as ghost plant, ghost pipe, or Indian pipe, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of Asia, North America, and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. The plant is sometimes completely waxy white, but often has black flecks or pale pink coloration. Rare variants may have a deep red color. The name “Monotropa” is Greek for “one turn” and “uniflora” is Latin for “one flowered” as there is one sharply curved stem for each single flower. It flowers from early summer to early autumn, often a few days after rainfall. The fruit, an oval capsule-like structure, enlarges and becomes upright when the seeds mature, at this point stem and capsule looking desiccated and dark brown or black. The seeds of Monotropa uniflora are small, ranging between 0.6–0.8 mm (3⁄128–1⁄32 in) in length.“

“Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll. Instead of generating food using the energy from sunlight, it is parasitic, and more specifically a mycoheterotroph. Its hosts are certain fungi that are mycorrhizal with trees, meaning it ultimately gets its food from photosynthetic trees. Since it is not dependent on sunlight to grow, it can grow in very dark environments as in the understory of dense forest. The complex relationship that allows this plant to grow also makes propagation difficult.“

“The flowers of Monotropa uniflora are visited by various bee and fly species, most commonly bumblebees. Bumblebees are an important pollen dispersal agent for the plant.“

“Like most mycoheterotrophic plants, Monotropa uniflora associates with a small range of fungal hosts, all of them members of Russulaceae.“

“It is often associated with beech trees.“

“The plant contains glycosides and may be toxic to humans.“

“In addition to various reported medical uses, the plant has been used as an anxiolytic in herbal medicine since the late 19th century.“

Reference: in italics is from “Monotropa uniflora,” Wikipedia

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Hepatica acutiloba

Old Leaves

MichaelStephenWills

This Hepatica acutiloba, the sharp-lobed hepatica, I found in Fillmore Glen last April, capturing them with the Apple Iphone 14 proMax.

Hepatica acutiloba is also known as sharp-lobed hepatica, liverwort, kidneywort, pennywort, liverleaf. The perennial nature of this plant is seen here in the purplish leaves hanging below, from a previous year’s growth.

The word hepatica derives from the Greek ἡπατικός hēpatikós, from ἧπαρ hêpar ‘liver’, because its three-lobed leaf blotched leaves resemble a diseased human liver.

Click for my Fine Art Photography Gallery.

Plants of genus Hepatica are native to Europe, Asia, and North America.

Europe: Albania, Austria, the Baltic states, Belarus, Bulgaria, Corsica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Yugoslavia

Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Western Siberia

Eastern Asia: North China, South Central China, East China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria, Primorsky Krai

South Asia: Pakistan, Western Himalaya

Canada: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Québec

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Plants of the genus have been introduced to Belgium.

These tufted perennials grow to 10 centimeters in height with wiry roots.  Leaves usually three-lobed and untoothed.  Flowers can be blue, pinkish, or white.  Three sepals, small and green.  Petals usually 5, can be more, without a nectary.  Stamens numerous.  Ovary superior; styles short with capitate stigmas.  Pollination is by insects.  Fruits many, one-seeded.  Seeds are green when ripe. dispersed by ants.  

References:
Wikipedia, “Hepatica”
“The Botanical Garden, Vol II” by Roger Phillips and Marytn Rix, Firefly Books, 2002

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Hepatica Gone To Seed

AKA liverleaf

MichaelStephenWills

This Hepatica acutiloba, the sharp-lobed hepatica, I found in Fillmore Glen last April, capturing them with the Apple Iphone 14 proMax.

“’The liverleaf puts forth her sister blooms of faintest blue soon after the late snows have melted. Indeed, these fragile-seeming, enable-like flowers are sometimes found actually beneath the snow, and form one of the many instances which we encounter among flowers, as among their human contemporaries, where the frail and delicate-looking withstand storm and stress far better than their more robust-appearing brethren.” 

Click for my Fine Art Photography Gallery.

Each clump-forming plant grows 5 to 19 cm (2.0 to 7.5 in) tall, flowering in the early to mid-spring. The flowers are greenish-white, white, purple, or pinkish in color, with a rounded shape. After flowering the fruits are produced in small, rounded columned heads, on pedicels 1 to 4 mm long seen here in these gone to seed flowers. When the fruits, called achenes, are ripe they are ovoid in shape, 3.5–4.7 mm long and 1.3–1.9 mm wide, slightly winged and tend to lack a beak.

“The rusty leaves of last summer are obliged to suffice for the plant’s foliage until some little time after the blossoms have appeared, when the young fresh leaves begin to uncurl themselves.  Someone has suggested that the fuzzy little buds look as though they were still wearing their furs as protection against the wintry weather which so often stretches late into our spring.”

Hepatica cultivation has been popular in Japan since the 18th century (mid-Edo period), where flowers with doubled petals and a range of color patterns have been developed.

Noted for its tolerance of alkaline limestone-derived soils, Hepatica may grow in a wide range of conditions; it can be found either in deeply shaded deciduous (especially beech) woodland and scrub or grassland in full sun. Hepatica will also grow in both sandy and clay-rich substrates, being associated with limestone. Moist soil and winter snowfall are required; Hepatica is tolerant of winter snow cover, but less so of dry frost.

Propagation is done by seeds or by dividing vigorous clumps in spring. However, seedlings take several years to reach bloom size, and divided plants are slow to thicken.

Hepatica was once used as a medicinal herb. Owing to the doctrine of signatures, the plant was once thought to be an effective treatment for liver disorders. Although poisonous in large doses, the leaves and flowers may be used as an astringent, as a demulcent for slow-healing injuries, and as a diuretic.

References:
The quotes are from From “How to know the wildflowers,” by Mrs. William Starr Dana, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1989
Otherwise, Wikipedia, “Hepatica acutiloba” and “Hepatica”

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Keep Your Pants On

Dutchman’s breeches

MichaelStephenWills2 Comments

Dutchman’s Breeches (scientific name: Dicentra cucullaria). Dicentra cucullaria is dependent on bumblebees (especially Bombus bimaculatus, a common eastern North American species) for cross-pollination. In fact, the flower structure and mechanism by which it is pollinated indicate that it is adapted for bumblebees, which can separate the outer and inner petals of the flower. They will then use their front legs to expose the stigma, stamen, and anthers. Shortly afterwards, they will sweep pollen in a forward stroke by utilizing their middle legs, before leaving the flower to return to the colony with the pollen. In this way, Dicentra cucullaria is pollinated as the bees move from plant to plant, and the bumblebee meets its dietary needs. The effect of a hallucinogenic compound contained in the plant on livestock has led ranchers to refer to it as ‘Staggerweed’.

Click for my Fine Art Photography Gallery.

Dutchman’s breeches were likely introduced to cultivation in England when Philip Miller introduced it to the Chelsea Physic Garden. Miller likely received it from John Bartram. The species was, however, not mentioned in American horticultural literature until the early 19th century. Two clones with pink flowers have received cultivar names: ‘Pittsburg’, which turns pink under certain conditions, and ‘Pink Punk’, collected by Henrik Zetterlund on Saddle Mountain in Oregon, is more consistently pink.

Native Americans and early white practitioners considered this plant useful for syphilis, skin conditions and as a blood purifier. Dutchman’s breeches contain several alkaloids that may have effects on the brain and heart. However, Dicentra cucullaria may be toxic and causes contact dermatitis in some people.

Reference: Wikipedia “Dicentra cucullaria“

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

About to Open

wildflower among mosses

MichaelStephenWills3 Comments

Unidentified wildflower growing on limestone ledge with mosses on aporil afternoon. Fillmore Glen New York State Park, Moravia, Cayuga County, New York

Click for my “Finger Lakes Memories” Fine Art Photography Gallery.

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Not Guilty

…for lack of evidence

MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

Greater Bee Fly is reputed to be a nectar thief, making a cut in flower base to siphon off nectar without fertilizing the flower. This behavior is not in evidence here as it approaches this Carolina spring beauty on a late April afternoon along the South Rim trail of Fillmore Glen State Park.

Click for my “Finger Lakes Memories” Fine Art Photography Gallery.

Instead, what we see is this fly using a long rigid proboscis, found in the front of the head, to probe and feed nectar from the flower base as would any other respectable bumblebee that is resembles and is commonly mistaken for.

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

A Beauty

…and an edible plant

MichaelStephenWills2 Comments

Claytonia caroliniana, the Carolina Spring Beauty, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Montiaceae. It was formerly placed in family Portulacaceae. Its native range is eastern and central North America. It is most found in the New England area of the United States, but its habitat extends from Ontario and a northern limit in the Cape Anguille Mountains of Newfoundland and south to Alabama.

Click for my “Finger Lakes Memories” Fine Art Photography Gallery.

Description

It grows approximately 6 inches tall in forests of the Appalachian Mountains and piedmont.Claytonia caroliniana is a flowering, woodland perennial herb. It grows from March though June and is one of the earliest spring ephemerals. The plant grows from spherical underground tubers in light humus. They sprout and bloom before the tree canopy develops. Once the area is shaded, the plants whither leaving only the tuberous roots underground.

The flowers consist of five pink and purple petals. Dark pink veins accent the petals and give them a striped appearance. The carpels are fused together. I have heard the flowers are white when first opened, have not experienced this myself. They grow on a stem 3 – 10 inches tall that bears a single pair of broad leaves. There are two green leaves that grow opposite each other on a node. The leaf has no teeth or lobes and a prominent central vein. They grow up to three inches long and 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide.

In the photograph, Carolina Spring Beauty flowers bracket the leaves just visible under leaf litter.

Edible

The plant is edible, but its usability is limited due to difficulty harvesting and the small quantities each plant produces. Its tuberous roots are edible and rich in starch and can be cooked or eaten raw. The leaves can be eaten as well. The tuberous roots are eaten by eastern chipmunks and white-footed mice.

History

The plant was named after John Clayton. Clayton was an early collector of plant specimens.

Source: Wikipedia”Claytonia caroliniana. Direct quotations are in italics.

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Not a Bee

…and an edible plant

MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

Bombylius major (commonly named the large bee-fly, the dark-edged bee-fly or the greater bee fly) is a parasitic bee mimic fly. Bombylius major is the most common type of fly within the Bombylius genus. The fly derives its name from its close resemblance to bumblebees and are often mistaken for them.

Click for my “Finger Lakes Memories” Fine Art Photography Gallery.

Bombylius major exhibits a unique flight behavior known as “yawing” and plays a role in general pollination, without preference of flower types. The fly does not bite, sting, or spread disease. However, the fly uses this mimicry of bumblebees to its own advantage, allowing close access to host solitary bee and wasp nests to deposit its eggs. After hatching, the larvae find their way into the nests to parasitically feed on the grubs.

Flight


It has been discovered that the fly is capable of a unique behavior, which was discovered with the use of a high speed camera. In this behavior, the flies are seen to rotate around a vertical axis as they fly (this action is known as “yawing”). However, it is still unknown what can cause this behavior to be triggered and what purpose it serves, but a proposed explanation includes mating habits. Here is an illustration of “Yaw” in the context of an airplane…substitute the fly body with head facing forward (to left).

ZeroOne, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pollinator Role


The Bombylius major bee-fly is a common, generalist floral pollinator, meaning that it does not give preference to one flower over another, instead pollinating a wide variety of plant families and species. The fly uses its proboscis to carry and transfer the pollen. The species is a dominant pollinator within its community, sometimes even pollinating up to two thirds of the local flowers. In addition, Bombylius major will visit and pollinate plants that attract few other species. Some types of flowers, for example Pulmonaria officinalis, will be almost exclusively pollinated by Bombylius major, with other species contributing a negligible amount to that plants pollination. Some flower species, such as Delphinium tricorne, are even specifically adapted to the fly in terms of color, shape, and form. If given the choice, Bombylius major will have a consistency in plant choice.

Flower Attraction


Long distance floral attraction is governed by optical sense, with color being the most important factor. The flies are typically more attracted to blue and violet colors, and occasionally yellow, over orange and pink. However, short distance floral attraction is based on the fly’s olfactory sense.

Sunbathing Activity


The fly is mostly active during day hours when the weather conditions are warm and sunny. Bombylius major is attracted to sunnier places and is more likely to pollinate these areas, with a larger average of flower visits in areas of higher amounts of sunshine. The fly will hide in the trees during the night and usually dart away from a cast shadow and occasionally hide in clean washing brought in fresh from the washing line and fly out causing unsettled behavior in the discoverer.

Flower Description


Claytonia caroliniana is a flowering, woodland perennial herb. It grows from March though June and is one of the earliest spring ephemerals. The plant grows from spherical underground tubers in light humus. They sprout and bloom before the tree canopy develops. Once the area is shaded, the plants whither leaving only the tuberous roots underground.

The plant is edible, but its usability is limited due to difficulty harvesting and the small quantities each plant produces. Its tuberous roots are edible and rich in starch and can be cooked or eaten raw. The leaves can be eaten as well. The tuberous roots are eaten by eastern chipmunks and white-footed mice.

Source: Wikipedia “Bombylius major ” and “Claytonia caroliniana. Direct quotations are in italics.

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills