A Master Naturalist volunteer has added Piatt County to a very short list of places where Shay's Trillium has been observed in Illinois.

The plant, Trillium recurvatum shayii, is a form of the common Prairie Trillium. It was spotted in April 2015 between Allerton's Centaur and Sunsinger statues by an East Central Illinois Master Naturalist who wishes to remain anonymous.

Nate Beccue, natural areas manager at Allerton, said the discovery was confirmed by himself and two botanists at the Illinois Natural History Survey, Jamie Ellis and Paul Markum.

According to the Illinois Wildflowers Website, Shay's Trillium has previously been observed in only four Illinois counties -- Jackson, Kane, Ogle and Champaign (Busey Woods).

Story by John Palen (2012)