Springtime has begun! The first Trilliums and Trout Lilies have emerged from the earth at the Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve in Southern Georgia!
Mark, a long time reader, commenter and contributor to the Sanguine Root visited the preserve this past Sunday, February 1st 2015 and just so happened to have brought along his camera! Â He found these delicate and fair specimens of Trilliums and Trout lilies blooming in the middle of the trails! Figuring they will most likely be stomped on, accidentally of course, probably by the admirers of flowers, he photographed them at their finest hour.
So the word is that the peak bloom times here will be in the middle of the month, so plan accordingly, bring your cameras, your batteries, chargers and more cameras batteries and chargers and have fun taking pictures! Watch where you step folks!
Lots more pictures  and descriptions of our 2014  Wolf Creek adventure posted here! Also try to bring a close up lense!
A word in praise of the trail-building and tour-guiding volunteers is in order:
The Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve has a looping trail on the hillside where the flowers grow.
It is marked in a natural-looking, low-budget manner with long, skinny tree limbs along the ground, defining the route.
The location of the path seems to be a compromise between the need for the safest walk on the hillside,
and the desire for access to the flowers.
The path was being freshened by the volunteers with new markers, limbs, and flags when we visited.
The flowers are everywhere. It is difficult to define a path which does not overrun some of the plants.
Also, at the time of these photos, only a small percentage of the blooms had come out of the ground.
Many more will likely come up right in the pathway. Time will tell.
In spite of the trail-side limbs, flagging, and markers, many people step outside the boundary in their walk.
The distraction of children, dogs, and wet weather with mud makes trail-following a secondary pursuit.
And, of course, everyone is looking at the flowers and not their feet.
It is tough to make a trail, keep it in place, and maintain it.
The volunteers have done a great job with what they have to contend with.
Their work made my visit to the preserve that much better.
Thank you Mark for your thoughtful comment and thank you to all of the volunteers making it happen! This is truly a special place in the world and preserving it is of utmost importance! Wish we could be there this year but glad to be there virtually!
Happy reminders that spring is almost here. Wonderful pictures Mark.
Spring is almost here !!! Thanks for breaking up the dreariness in Philly!
You are Welcome Kathy! Just a short walk away trout lilies are in the ground waiting to emerge and bloom.