Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 2 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
As May approaches, I begin to think about the great white trilliums that carpet the woods floor at the Thompson Wildlife Management Area near Linden. The Latin name is Trillium grandiflorum. “Grand” in botanical language refers to the size of the white blooms.
These wild flowers are also grand in a modem sense, grander than other native wildflowers I can name. These flowers, measuring 6 inches across, will be in bloom in early May, when uncountable numbers stretch across the woods floor as far as one can see on Blue Mountain. The effect is astonishing.
“How long,” I wanted to know, “does it take one seed to produce a single, white flower of Trillium grandiflorum?”
The question was for Mary Painter, conservationist and botanist. She knew, of course. “Six years,” she said, without hesitation. Six years to produce one magnificent bloom that starts out as the purest white and turns to delicate rose before fading.
I find myself equating the value of the great white trillium with that of Mary Painter. This lady instigated the organization that has grown into the forceful and vigorous Virginia Native Plant Society. Her purpose and vision, and that of the organization she helped to found, is to make Virginians aware of the value and importance of native plants.
In particular, I think of those flowers that enhance April and May — ephemerals that can make a walk in the spring woodlands an enchanting experience that one has to wait a year to
97.2%