persistent wakerobin, Trillium persistens

This trillium is persistent because it stays green later in the season than others do. And let's hope it continues to persist. This is the rarest trillium, found only in a 4 square mile area on the Georgia-South Carolina border just south of NC. It is a federally endangered species. This image was from the garden of Fred and Roberta (Boots) Case in Saginaw. They were the world's Trillium authorities. In fact, they authored the book, Trilliums, full of wonderful and exhaustive detail. Their garden included most of their subjects, and is the source of many of the images we will share on upcoming Trillium Tuesdays. This image was taken on 5/9/82.