In the middle of May, after a week of hot weather, it’s rare to find any trillium wildflower in bloom in our southeast Michigan woods.
That’s what happened this month when our area was hit with a heat wave of temperatures reaching the mid- to high-eighties (Farenheit).
Instead of Great White Trilliums blanketing the forest floor (and the less frequently seen Prairie Trillium), the deep pink/purple blooms of Wild Geranium began flowering.
Which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find a lone pink trillium this week, in a mass of understory plants leafing out.
I discovered many people aren’t aware the pink trillium is the same species as Great White Trillium.
What’s the difference?
As Great White Trillium flowers age, the white petals turn pink from the production of blue, red, or purple pigments called anthocyanins.
Which are the pigments that color many berries and flowers like red hibiscus and red clover.
Have you ever seen a pink trillium in the wild in the woods?
