The winter rains (yes it is spring now) usually bring the trilliums to bloom under the coastal redwoods in Marin in February. But our rains have been late, so many trilliums were blooming this past week. This flower is a member of the lily family and thrives in the cooler climate of the redwoods. This three-petaled white flower blooms in the spring.
Having grown up in New York I was accustomed to seeing trilliums in the forest that had broad petals some 3-6 inches long. Or maybe they grew larger in my imagination. But the coastal trillium blossoms in the Bay Area seem to be quite small with each thin petal about one or two inches long. The dew drops on the trillium petals glistened and were like crystals of Tsoygol Latso Water (from India).
As the trilliums under the coastal redwoods begin to fade they seem to go from white to pink to cranberry-ish colors. The day was overcast when I discovered these trillium …making the forest dark and dreary. But the fog provided perfect even light for forest-floor photography.
polypore and stereum
I would have needed an extremely slow shutter speed to obtain my desired depth-of-field, which is doable when there is no hint of a breeze. Thanks to the Canon macro ring light I did not need a shutter speed slower than 1/125 of a second.
On the moist forest floor the ferns dance like geisha fans hovering over the fallen tree limbs adorned with mosses and fungus. The rust brown colored old redwood branches and cones carpet the soft dirt ground and lightly traveled paths. Every inch is a new composition of natural arrangements.
Three petals remind me of all things triune – Maiden-Mother-Crone, Father-Son-Holy Spirit, Root-Trunk-Branches, Waxing-Full-Waning Moon, Morning, Noon and Night. So putting the trillium in a triptych seemed just right. Seeking tranquility in the midst of a stressful day or disturbing news broadcast? Walk into the forest and make your home there  — if for but a moment.
If you live in the area and haven’t been to A Woman’s Eye Gallery this is a good month to stop by. There is a special exhibit of images from Morocco by Chris Kibre, Maureen McGettigan and myself. Viewing a print is much different than seeing images in a digital file. See you soon, enchala.   (678 Portola Drive, next to the purple church).