Dog Tooth Violet or Trout Lily

Dog Tooth Violet or Trout Lily, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Summit Park is a blanket of flowers. The forest floor is dotted with white trilliums with accents of these yellow flowers*. They shyly turn their faces down to the ground while all around them the trilliums stare boldly up.

Each year I love to walk through this urban forest, delighting in the short show. In spring each flower has its time. Changes are a constant of this wild season.

Trillium Season

Trillium Season, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I think one special aspect of spring is the ephemeral nature of the flowers. Scylla, so prolific just a week ago have almost all died off. Daffodils have bloomed and tulips in the sunnier spots have opened. But it is the forest flowers I love - the flowers that belong here, that have not been brought from other places. The trilliums blanket the forest floor, blooming while the sunshine still reaches them, before the leaves open and shade the ground.



Dogtooth violets with their downward drooping faces add their sunny colour.  Summer flowers last, though blossoms die off, more grow to take their places. Spring flowers have a short season - take time to find them for they are not here long.

Apr 26/10: Looking Up

Apr 26/10: Looking Up, originally uploaded by susanvg.

These perky flowers are among the first wild flowers to open in spring. I find it odd that they face the earth instead of the sun. My camera was close to the ground aiming up to reveal the heart of this bloom. They hang their heads modestly, lest anyone see their bright sunny faces.

It is a shame they hide their wild abandon - like people wearing masks to keep others from seeing their true personalities.