Jack in the Pulpit – Arisaema triphyllum
One of the wildflowers I never managed to get a good photograph of last year was a Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). So I was really hoping to at least see a few and photograph one this year. Instead, I’ve seen Jack in the Pulpits in several locations recently. Here are a few of my favorite photos of them
The first photos were taken at the Laurel-Snow Pocket Wilderness near Dayton, TN. Bill and I were there with a friend who mentioned he’d seen several earlier in the week. There were about 10 Jack in the Pulpits within a few feet of each other.
I really like the way this one looked backed by a large tree.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
This one was growing so close to another plant that it’s wrapped around to make a circle.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
This last photo from Laurel Snow really shows Jack in his pulpit.
A few days later, I was photographing along Goforth Creek near the Ocoee River. There on the side of the old roadbed was another Jack in the Pulpit. This one was maroon colored which means it had already been polinated by flies.
The maroon and white striping is very striking. I really like the little veins of green in parts of the top leaf.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
The last couple of Jack in the Pulpit photos were taken at Longwood Gardens. I saw more Jack in the Pulpits in the Pierce’s Woods section of Longwood than I’ve seen anywhere else. Many of the ones at Longwood were much taller than the ones I’d photographed in Tennessee.
This Jack in the Pulpit has started changing color from the bright green to maroon. The underside of the pulpit hood had changed more than the top side.
(c) 2009 Patty Hankins
And finally a pair of Jack in the Pulpits growing very close to one another.
(c) 2009 PattyHankins
I’ve also spotted Jack in the Pulpits at Brookside Gardens and in the Fern Valley section of the National Arboretum.
I don’t know if there are more Jack in the Pulpits this year – or if I’m managing to be in the right place at the right time – or if I’ve just finally learned to recognize them and so am seeing so many more of them.
In any case, it’s been great fun photographing the Jack in the Pulpits this spring.