Ahhhh….Spring Break! Easter is super late this year, which make Spring Break super late! It’s nice because it’s the tree pollen peak and I’m welcoming not having to fight through feeling miserable to teach. It’s not so nice because it’s the tree pollen peak and it’s hard to get out and do stuff! Between the pollen and the sky high gas prices I’m tempted to just hole up in my house with projects and not leave until Monday morning!
Two years ago I made the trek out to Linden, VA and the GR Thompson Wildlife Management Area to see the largest concentration of trillium in the US. You can read about that day, and what exactly trillium are here. The trillium at GR Thompson Wildlife Management area are usually at their peak around my birthday, and with spring break being so late, my birthday is only 2 weeks away so I figured that there’s be some trillium action.
The pollen was holding me back. Sometimes I just have to say “screw the pollen, I’m doing what I want.” That’s what I decided I was going to do today. I decided I’d drive out there, hike for just one hour – 30 minutes out and then turn around. I’d simply accept whatever “consequence” the tree pollen threw at me and hope I could get some good pictures of trillium and maybe, if I was lucky, a showy lady’s slipper.
I headed out about 10:30 this morning – wearing shorts since it was supposed to be in the high 70s, and cotton shorts at that, I was only planning to hike/walk an hour and I had other errands to run. I’d also simply grabbed a bottle of water, a few granola bars, my trusty PATC map, and my camera. Bare minimum in terms of gear – I was simply looking for flowers so didn’t feel I needed much. As I was walking out the door I did grab my fleece jacket in case it was chilly.
I wasn’t even out of Lake Ridge yet when it started to rain. That’s right – rain! The weather forecast had been calling for a 30% chance of rain – and that was isolated thunderstorms in the evening! I pulled up the radar on my weather channel app and sure enough the whole area was green with rain!!!! I did I quick u-turn and went home for rain jacket!
As I drove west the rain continued to fall steadily! In places it was pouring! The temp was also dropping – when I left home it was in the 70s, by the time I reached the trailhead parking it was 51! brrrrr!
I parked in the same place as I did the last time I came out there and headed toward the AT. The first thing I noticed was that the trillium that had been everywhere 2 years ago were no where to be seen. :-( There were some other white flowers in abundance, but no trillium.
I headed down the old road checking out all the little wildflowers and snapping pictures! And then I heard it….a low, distant rumble….thunder. Yes, this trip to hunt trillium is sounding a lot like the last time I came out here! The thunder didn’t sound too aggressive and I’d checked the radar before I got out of the car and there was no red – only yellow. I figured that it was garden variety storm and nothing to worry too much about.
A light rain was falling, distant thunder was rumbling and while it was chilly, it was very pleasant. I headed down the trail, happy that I’d made the trip out and that the weather had “cooperated”! :-)
I saw a few trillium about to burst and a few that had buds that were starting to open. As soon as I turned onto the AT I saw hundreds of trillium leaves, but no flowers. I was too early. ugh. Too late one year and too early the next. I walked a little farther and then the thunder started rumbling directly overhead, it was cold, and I wasn’t seeing what I came for, so I turned around and headed back to the car.
The air was so crisp and pollen free I had to keep the windows open! I zipped up my raincoat so I wouldn’t get wet and cranked the heat and drove most of the way back to Manassas with the window open!
I went back to Manassas to run my errands and checked in on twitter which is where I learned that the oak pollen had popped and today’s pollen counts were over 2000, despite pollen.com’s assurances that it was a lower pollen day!
Here are the few pictures I got:
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