Finding and being able to photograph a Painted Trillum “T.undulatum” is like finding a fortune in the woods. It blooms at the start of spring. It is truly a beauty. Because the deer population has exploded in this part of the country, they have stripped the forest of undergrowth, including trilliums.

IT IS NOT TO BE PICKED as it will not regenerate itself unless it goes through its complete cycle. It spreads by seeds. Ants relish the oil the seeds produce and take the seeds to their nest. After the ants eat the oil they leave the seed behind to germinate.

To find a Painted Trillium requires a walk in the woods. This one was found last spring under a rhododendron on Beech Creek where the creek merges with the Watauga River. Sometimes they are found near mountain laurel and galax.

This wildflower is 8-18” tall. The flower is sharply pointed. All of its major parts, except for the stem, occur in threes. Three petals and three sepals (small, petal like structures beneath the petal) rise above a whorl of three leaves. The leaves are large. The seeds require two separate dormant periods; it will not sprout for at least two years. The trillium’s bloom will not appear for at least five years after germination.

It is one of the first wildflowers of spring! Look for it toward the end of May.

Painted Trillium. Photo by Elizabeth Potter Painter


Painted Trillium. Photo by Elizabeth Potter Painter