Trillium Lane Video

I returned to the Chehalis Western Trail in Olympia, Washington with determination to capture the numerous Trillium on video.

A recap for new people.........

I have been amazed by the numbers of Trillium found in the forest near the Chehalis Western Train Head or End (depending on your perspective) at Woodard Bay. In my previous post I captured some of the Trillium with my camera. I have a short video capability on my camera and have been playing with that feature. For those Trillium lovers, I hope you can appreciate the spectacle of Trillium along the trail. In addition, I am expanding my learning curve by posting this video. Here's to the adage to learn something new every day!

Some interesting facts about the Trillium:


The Trillium is often the first wildflower noticed by casual walkers; other spring wildflowers are much less apparent.


In western North America, a typical species is Trillium ovatum (Western Trillium) also with white flowers, that slowly turn into a shade of purple in the middle of spring.


Picking Trillium for their flower can seriously injure the plant. The three leaves (more correctly leafy bracts) below the flower are the plant's only ability to produce food stores and a picked trillium can take many years to recover. For this reason in many areas, e.g. Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Washington, it is illegal to pick and/or transplant trilliums from public lands without a permit from the State.


Trillium is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants and mice. At maturity, the base and core of the Trillium ovary turns soft and spongy. Trillium seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants extract the seeds from the decaying ovary and take them to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes and put the seeds in their garbage, where they can be protected until they germinate. They also get the added bonus of growing in a medium made richer by the ant garbage.




I wish it were longer, but I hope you enjoy!