TRILLIUM GRANDIFLORUM

"The plants arise from underground rootstalks
that were gathered and chewed by Indians
for a variety of medicinal purposes."
(The Audubon Society Field Guide
to North American Wildflowers)

And over here at the base
of this hickory tree is where,
to my surprise and giddy delight,
I discovered it. We'd moved in
the previous June so it wasn't
until April that I saw the green
shoot and then, a week later,
a pure white blossom the size
of a baby's hand. That was,
let me count, yes, eleven years ago.

Now look. How many blossoms
do you see?  Six? Yes.
Aren't they magnificent? In another
two weeks they'll start to turn
pink. Oh, I know most people
wonder why I go on and on
about these wildflowers.

Some of you kids are probably
rolling your eyes. Maybe you have
to get to be my age to appreciate
the wonder of it. And yes,
I do go on and on. They say the Indians
used to chew the roots for toothaches.

Over here now, see that purple
flower? It's delphinium tricorne,
spring larkspur. The petals are . . .