Spring's Southern Trillium Blooms

I wonder how much better off our world would be if every kid had a camera and a class on nature photography?  My kids are vying for the chance to get behind the lens and "discover" what's blooming outdoors.  I had to bribe my youngest with turns for her to take her own photographs so that I could snap all of the trillium photos I wanted this morning.

It's fascinating to live so close to the Great Smoky Mountains that trillium can still be part of an undisturbed forest area.  We spotted light yellow and rich red blooms on our hike.

We left alone the tiny black ants and their nests often nearby, out of respect for their symbiotic relationship.  Without ants who love to devour the flower's fruit, the trillium would not likely grow offspring.  We also took pictures, not plants, as plucking the flowers could destroy the plant.

It was a gift to see groupings of three, five, even a dozen trillium thriving together.  The plants can take years to establish and bloom.  The federal government lists some types of trillium as threatened or endangered.