Nodding trillium
Route 9, Belchertown
Photo and text by Georgette deFriesse, Belchertown
The path where I walk my dogs delights me every spring with a sprinkling of nodding trilliums. All through the years, I’ve tried to capture an image of the flower, which hangs below the leaves. These low-growing spring ephemerals happen to share the same space as another native plant, poison ivy. Despite year after year of lying in poison ivy, I never liked the resulting image. Finally this year, one trillium emerged right at the edge of the path where I could lie on dirt. It was tall enough for me to use a tripod and still find a clear view of the flower. The plant was in deep shade and there was a strong breeze, so I used a small LED flashlight to add light, allowing me to choose a faster shutter speed. It was made using a tripod-mounted DSLR camera with a macro lens.
Georgette deFriesse is affiliated with the Robert Floyd Photo Gallery, 2 East St., Southampton. It is open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., also, by chance/appointment.