Why the Texas Trillium Is the Flower You Should Never Pick

Spring is in full swing in Texas- my allergies are quite aware- and flowers are blooming!

If you're looking for some beautiful spring activities, like literally stopping to smell the flowers, check out these stunning flower meadows you can visit in Texas. Now, in most instances, you can totally pick a bluebonnet or even a poppy when you see one, but there is one flower you should never, ever pick!

This is the Trillium. Texas has its very own species of trilliums called a Trillium texanum (very fitting for the Lone Star state!) and while picking a trillium isn't illegal, at least in Texas it isn't, you really shouldn't pick the trilliums!

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Trilliums begin blooming around mid-April, so there's a good chance that you've already seen some- don't pick them! They're very beautiful to look at, but as we all learned in the first grade: you look with your eyes not your hands!

Trilliums are very fragile. For one, it can take seven to twelve years after germination for a trillium to flower. Each flower yields only ONE seed pod each year. One little disturbance can kill the entire flower. Trilliums should basically be grown in a bubble, they're so delicate!

In many parts of North America where trilliums are known to grow, people know to never pick them. There's a huge conservation effort to keep them growing as in some places they're considered endangered and in Michigan and Minnesota it's illegal to pick them. It's so devastating when trilliums are picked.

So next time you see this beautiful flower, don't pick it!