Bloodroot

[Douglas Sherman]

Bloodroot is one of the most beautiful spring flowers of Midwestern woodlands. Its pure white petals with light gray veins contrasting with the bright yellow anthers is absolutely striking. Sage gray leaves with purple veins form a protective cradle around the flower buds until they are ready bloom. After the flowers are done blooming the leaves explode in size to around ten inches in diameter in order to gather enough nourishing sunlight as the leaf canopy above shades the woodland floor.

Bloodroot just beginning to bloom.

Bloodroot leaves (the ones covered with raindrops) amongst Large Flowering Trillium.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Absolutely gorgeous Douglas. You have a wonderful store of flower images.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Absolutely gorgeous Douglas. You have a wonderful store of flower images.

Thank you so much, Ben.

 

[AlanLichty]

The flowers in the first image don't even look real but I love the shot. The second image is a nice example of it as well. I like the level of detail in both of the first two images. The trillium shot has more in one frame than I am used to seeing in the PNW forests.

 

[JimFox]

Wow Doug! Amazing photos! I didn't think a flower by the name of Bloodroot could look so great. But that's a beautiful flower!

 

[MonikaC]

I love how the leaves fold over the flowers to protect them in #2. Great description of them.
And that is a lot of trilliums!

 

[Douglas Sherman]

I love how the leaves fold over the flowers to protect them in #2. Great description of them.
And that is a lot of trilliums!

The things you find in nature are amazing. I think that the reason the plant evolved that characteristic is because they bloom while frost is still in season and if the buds are killed there are no seeds to disperse.