May 1 – Spirit Mountain Trilliums

Trilliums carpet the forest floor of Spirit Mountain in early May, signaling that springtime is fully underway. Because of their large white blossoms, they are easy to recognize, even from the roadside. This beautiful wildflower is one of the signature blooms of northern hardwood forests around Lake Superior and throughout the Northland, often appearing just before the trees fully leaf out.

Trilliums are among the most remarkable wildflowers in our forests. Each plant displays a distinctive pattern of threes—three petals, three sepals, and three leaves—giving the flower a simple symmetry that is easy to remember.

Each spring, the blossoms capture our attention, but historically, people also valued the plant’s roots for their medicinal properties.

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”— Luke 12:27 

Only the mind of God could create flowers like these and place them here for His glory. He created you for that same purpose. Give thanks to Him for today, for like the flowers of spring, it will soon pass.