3/3/2026- March Native Plant Highlight: Trilliums (Trillium spp.)

Trilliums (Trillium spp.) are the quintessential spring ephemerals—a group of plants that make a fleeting appearance each spring—and are widely considered the most elusive among them. Ask a wildflower enthusiast what they’re most excited to see in March and April, and the odds are good they’ll smile and say ‘trillium!’

There are roughly forty-eight trillium species worldwide; more than two-thirds are native to Eastern North America, and seven are native to Pennsylvania. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is home to at least four of those.

First to bloom, usually in the latter-half of March, is snow trillium (Trillium nivale); soon to follow are toadshade (Trillium sessile) and purple trillium (Trillium erectum), occasionally referred to as wake robin, bethroot and stinking Benjamin – think wet dog.

The Large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), aka the white trillium, is probably the best-known of the species and is considered the most common, perhaps because its relatively large size makes it easier to see than others.

Learn more about trilliums and find some too, along with their natural companions at the Preserve on April 18 – sign up for Learning Native Plants: Spring Ephemerals with Mary Anne Borge.