Red Empress in Bloom

Red Trillium or Wakerobin (Trillium erectum)

Is it silly to think of a particular springtime wildflower with such affection? Sometimes I wonder, and then I remember the red empress in all her perfection.

This specimen has resided near a bend in the trail for time out of mind, and she gifts us with a single perfect flower every year. Rising from the warming earth, she spreads three great green ruffled leaves, then puts forth a single elegant nodding bud. As the sun grows stronger, the bud slowly raises its head and unfurls in deep opulent crimson, possibly my favorite color ever. So great is the bloom and so rich the color that it can be seen from quite a distance, even on overcast days.

Some years, a deer passes along the trail into the deep woods and dines on the red trillium before we arrive.  Other years, an exuberant wind dances across the old hills and shakes her petals loose. In the twinkling of an eye they fall to earth, and her blooming is over for another year. This we acknowledge, understand and cherish beyond mere words - even the fallen petals of the red empress are works of art.