Hiking into the back country is usually accompanied by surprises but today when I began a hike on the Munson Creek trail I found that, at the lower elevations, the trilliums are beginning to bloom about a week earlier than usual. What a pleasant surprise!
Montana Outdoors 
So pretty. I like all the detail you can see in the petals, the little veins.
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Comment by Candace — April 12, 2010 @ 2:03 am
I think they are just beautiful flowers. Very simple, but elegant, although they always seem to get pollen all over.
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Comment by montucky — April 12, 2010 @ 8:46 am
I look forward to seeing your Trillium posts. Those little flowers are so sweet! Your 2nd image is awesome – with that depth of field. Love it! Hope you got my email reply. Thank you for passing the message along!
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Comment by Stacey Dawn — April 12, 2010 @ 4:54 am
These were very easy to get to for a change. The best area is about two miles up the trail: I hiked up there but those are just beginning to bud.
Yes, I got your email. Thanks for responding!
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Comment by montucky — April 12, 2010 @ 8:50 am
An early Spring for you guys? Pleasant surprise, indeed! These are gorgeous shots!!!
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Comment by Tricia — April 12, 2010 @ 9:21 am
Well, we started to have an early spring, but it has turned into a very cold one. I was amazed to see these in bloom now. Each year I hike to an area a couple of miles up the trail into the roadless area where there are trilliums in abundance, and the last two years that has been on April 18th. I did hike there yesterday, but there were very few showing and they were just in the bud stages. I hope they do well later: that’s a favorite place for me this time of year.
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Comment by montucky — April 12, 2010 @ 9:32 am
Thanks for the reminder…I need to see if they have bloomed around here. Missed them last year.
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Comment by Scott Thomas Photography — April 12, 2010 @ 9:50 am
Yes, this is one I’d sure hate to miss!
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Comment by montucky — April 12, 2010 @ 6:07 pm
Lovely and almost trumpet like similar to a lily. Beautiful white veined flowers against the dark green foliage.
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Comment by Anna Surface — April 12, 2010 @ 2:46 pm
They are a member of the Lily family and one of the larger wildflowers in this region. I also like the areas in which they grow, although my favorite area requires a lot of work to get to it.
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Comment by montucky — April 12, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
I do see these once in a while here. I don’t get out and about like you do though! Beautiful captures!!
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Comment by kcjewel — April 12, 2010 @ 5:14 pm
I had planned to go look for these on the 18th but decided to hike that trail and ran into these early ones. By the time the ones higher up are in full bloom, these will be red.
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Comment by montucky — April 12, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
How nice photos! These are not found here, but some info is found on my language.
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Comment by sartenada — April 13, 2010 @ 4:36 am
These are wide spread in western Montana, but there are several places where I have found them in more abundance and beauty.
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Comment by montucky — April 13, 2010 @ 9:34 am
Beautiful! Your trilliums are way ahead of ours. The ones in our woods haven’t even started to think about blooming.
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Comment by kateri — April 13, 2010 @ 7:50 pm
It’s interesting that some of your flowers are way ahead of ours, and yet the Trilliums aren’t. There may be different blooming times for different species, too.
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Comment by montucky — April 13, 2010 @ 7:55 pm
Beautiful shots, great detail! You must be a walking botanical encylopedia.
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Comment by victry1 — May 4, 2010 @ 8:24 am
Thank you victry1. I’m not much of an expert though, just someone who loves wildflowers. I find lots of them and try to identify their species; sometimes I succeed.
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Comment by montucky — May 4, 2010 @ 6:54 pm