Nothing else in the woods looks remotely like this charming plant. Each plant carries one or two umbrella-like leaves. If it has two leaves, it plans on blooming; one leaf means it will not bloom this year, and we have known whole patches where every plant stubbornly refused to bloom for years on end. The plant is poisonous, but when the fruit is ripe it is no longer poisonous enough to worry about and has a pleasant flavor, according to woodland lore. These plants were growing in Bird Park in Mount Lebanon, where they were blooming in early May. (More pictures at the full article.)
Here are some pictures of this year’s trillia along the Trillium Trail in Fox Chapel.
The most common form is deep mahogany red, but Pittsburgh seems to favor trillia in the wrong colors, and this is the more uncommon pale-green form. It is distinguished by its erect petals and often by mottled leaves, as we see here. It favors sites near streams; this one was growing beside Saw Mill Run in Seldom Seen. (More pictures at the full article.)
Like a larger version of the Celandine, this bright yellow poppy blooms at the same time, but is easily distinguished by its larger flowers with overlapping petals and bright orange stamens. These plants were blooming in late April along the Trillium Trail in Fox Chapel. (More at the full article.)
These cheery little flowers pop up at about the same time as the Coltsfoots, among the first flowers of spring. The flowers open before the leaves are fully unfurled, so each flower stem is elegantly wrapped in a shell-like green leaf. The English and Latin names both come from the fact that the root is full of red juice. This is the only member of the genus Sanguinaria. (More at the full article.)
