Photo Trekking 6: Thompson WMA

[This is my 6th installment in a 6-part series for a photo trekking class I took with Barbara Southworth through the Smithsonian Associates Residence Program.]

Purple geranium with raindrops in early morning light in GR Thompson State Wildlife Management Area.

The last hike of the Photo Trekking class was in GR Thompson State Wildlife Management Area, Virginia. The place is normally reserved for hunting, Monday through Saturday, but on Sundays, it’s open to hikers. The place is probably best known for its trillium bloom, which is likely the largest bloom of large-flowered trillium in the United States.

In early May, there are millions of trillium in bloom in Thompson WMA.

A sea of trillium under a canopy of trees in GR Thompson State Wildlife Management Area.

Trillium aren’t the only wildflowers that bloom in Thompson WMA. The lady’s slippers are quite popular with hikers.

Lady's slipper orchid in Thompson Wildlife Management Area. Lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids are the orchids in the subfamily Cypripedioidea.

I particularly liked the mayapples. I got this photo when the clouds broke just enough to give me a little sun.

Mayapple with raindrops in early morning light in Thompson Wildlife Management Area. Podophyllum peltatum, commonly called mayapple, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae.

The wildflower I photographed most was the purple geranium. I really like this one. If you look closely, you can see evidence of a recent rainfall.

Purple geranium with raindrops in Thompson Wildlife Management Area. Geranium is a genus of 422 species of flowering annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as the cranesbills.

I got this one with some dramatic lighting. You can also see a new flower about to bloom.

Purple geranium in early morning light in GR Thompson State Wildlife Management Area.

There was a lot to see everywhere I looked. I had some fun trying to get this millipede. It was pretty hard, as the little guy was moving fast.

Black, red, orange, and yellow centipede in GR Thompson State Wildlife Management Area

As you might have guessed from the selection of photos I’ve displayed so far that I did a lot of close-up photography. Well, I also tried some landscape shots as well, but it was hard to nail the composition.

A sea of trillium under a canopy of trees in GR Thompson State Wildlife Management Area.

I think this one turned out reasonably well, but the trillium don’t pop out at the viewer as much as I think they should.

Path through a forest lined with trillium flowers.