April 2nd, 2023
Today, several friends and I met in rural Rock Island County, IL with the hopes of feasting our weary, plant-starved eyes on the blooms of Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale). One by one, we pulled down the gravel driveway of a private property located amongst bare farm fields and wooded ravines. We were greeted by the former landowner, Stacy, who had graciously arranged for us to visit the property. Once everyone had assembled, we meandered our way towards a wooded slope just a off of the driveway. The sun was shining and a strong southerly wind pushed us along. Having just experienced an early spring snow storm the week before, the warmer weather felt luxurious. As we approached the snow trillium spot, we walked beneath the gnarled, outstretched limbs of several old, open grown burr oak trees (Quercus macrocarpa). We took a turn on an old farm road at the base of a north facing slope along a small stream. More old burr and white oak (Quercus alba) towered above us. Soon after the turn, someone pointed down to the ground and exclaimed “There they are!”
Amongst the dry leaves first appeared one, then three, then ten, then perhaps a couple hundred tiny white flowers! We were exuberant! People scattered and hunched down to get a close look at the tiny beauties. Some trilliums looked like they had just emerged while others had fully opened, basking in the gentle warmth of the early April sun. Along with the snow trillium we found the early shoots of sweet cicely (Osmorhiza sp.), spring beauty (Claytonia virginica), and Canada meadow garlic (Allium canadense). It was amazing to see just how early the trilliums were compared to all other herbaceous species.
And it wasn’t just the plants that were waking up! We observed several small insects buzzing about. I was lucky enough to capture this fly visiting one of the snow trilliums, perhaps pollinating it (above photo).
Part of what made the experience so exciting was that this population of Trillium nivale represents the first for Rock Island County. It has been collected from a few nearby counties (Henry County, IL; Muscatine and Clinton Counties, IA), but never here (see BONAP distribution map below). So, with permission, two plants were collected for depositing in an herbarium to document this plant’s presence in the county.
A keen observer and veteran botanist amongst us noted that the site was largely free from invasive species, like the honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) which grew abundantly in the understory of adjacent woods. He believed this was an indication that the trillium’s slope must’ve been spared from grazing and other disturbances over the past couple hundred years. It is these small slivers of land, usually too steep or unfavorable for farming and grazing animals, where some of the most special remaining pieces of our Illinois natural history hangs on.
After we had our fill of the trilliums, a couple folks headed home while the rest of us explored the property a bit more before deciding to call it a day.
What an amazing kick off to the spring botanizing season! A big thanks goes out to Stacy from all of us for making this outing possible. An afternoon in the woods with fellow nature and plant nerds is always one well spent.
Flora of the Quad Cities Region 
