Incredible Beauty

Trillium is a flower from my youth.  Finding a huge patch of them while walking in the woods is an unforgettable experience.  This picture was posted eleven days ago when these plants first opened their flowers in our shade garden.

Now that the trees are unfurling their leaves, the time of the trillium is coming to an end for this season.  Those pure white blossoms are now pink.  Just how wonderful is that?  One must pay attention or risk missing this part of the show.  Withered brown totally spent flowers can also be seen in this picture.  Soon this will be bare ground with no trace of these native treasures as their short time in the sun becomes over.

This native Pinxter bush is just now opening its buds.  Most remain closed but the overall affect is sweet smelling pink.  Actually two bushes grow here.  Perhaps this will be the year when I find the courage to move the smaller plant.

Flowers seen from their side reveal the brazen presentation of the sexual parts.  Five rather long filaments have their pollen producing stamens waving in the wind.  The sixth longer filament will receive the pollen sending it to the base of the blossom where seeds will be produced.  When fertilization is complete, the withered remains of the flower will detach and slide down the limp pistil.  Despite the fact that this is only the second day when flowers have been open we did see the remains of a spent blossom.

After the post was written another visit intended to savor the sweetness of the open flowers revealed two winged pollinators.  A massive bumble bee was sampling the open flowers.  Despite the pollen laden stamens placement way beyond the open petals, the bee was working its way to the base of the blossoms.  Its backwards exit is likely the cause of the flower that was pulled away.  The second pollinator appeared similar to a bee but it was tiny.  This represents the first time that pollinators have been seen near these flowers.  I always assumed wind spread the pollen.  Must watch out for those assumptions.

Finally A Bench

A bench has always been part of the master plan for the new shade garden.  As rocks, a stump and some plants were placed, the location for the bench became apparent.  With a friend well into her ninth decade coming for a visit, the time for a place to sit became do it now.  The bench is placed as is a bark mulch path leading to it.  After a few hours of work it is just wonderful to have a place to sit looking out across the garden.  We can watch the birds that nest in our boxes, the seemingly endless parade of good ole boys in their pickup trucks and an occasional huge piece of farm equipment.  There is a great deal of work yet to do.  The sunny area behind the bench needs to be cleared of weeds and planted with meadow plants.  The leaves need to be freed from their bags and chopped adding to the forest nature of the soil in the shade.

The Lady Slippers are planted just across the path to the bench.  We have been watching for the flowers to open but Ed was looking in the totally wrong place despite the not so subtle clue contained in the plant's name.  He kept checking the end of the swollen pouches for any sign of progress.  Then we discovered that the flower opening is on top and very close to the stem.  Fortunately he found the open flower in time to enjoy it.

These Jack In The Pulpits are finally truly open.  Each faces in a different direction so their message is available to all regardless of location.  With the lack of frost these flowers should set a large number of seeds.  More plants will likely appear here.

This Trillium has once again opened with a pink coloration rather than the usual white.  We have no idea why this color variation occurs.  A closely adjacent plant has bands of a similar pink coloration over a white background.  Perhaps there is something in this plot of soil that causes the unusual color.  Whatever the cause this blossom will be a solid dark pink as it matures.  We may consider moving it to the new shade garden and planting it near to the bench.

What Next ?

Today the impact of  Wednesday's lily attack has softened a bit.  Only two kinds of lilies were completely wiped out. "Lovely Girl", a new lily for this year and "Crystal Clear", a lily that was a free gift three years ago had no plants escape that grey furry little monster.  The lilies in pots have all joined the other plants on the wall.  Ed says, "No problem, there's still room for more plants on the wall."  Of course  we left the lemon verbenas inside by the basement window because of a threat of frost again tonight, and  we still have one more plant order that is due to arrive next week.  The weather forecasts are starting to look good.  If no new calamity pops up, we can get some planting done and make more room on the wall.

This morning as I  looked out over the garden, a bright flash of orange made me get the binoculars for a closer look.  In the trees on the far side of the garden was a Baltimore oriole. He looked stunning in his orange and black breeding plumage.  Later  I saw another flash of orange and black in the garden.  It was the first monarch butterfly to be seen this year. It did not linger.  Flowers blooming in the garden are a bit sparse right now.  It seems early as if we are all pushing the season a bit.  Milkweed plants that monarchs need to lay their eggs  are just beginning to break through the surface of the soil.  Still it's a treat to see these new spring arrivals whenever they get here.

This beautiful trillium in the shade garden is starting to fade.  It's lovely white has been replaced with a marbled pink and white.  As it fades it will turn pink.  It must be nice to age so gracefully.