The trillium flower on the forest floor took somewhere between seven and ten years to get there.
A trillium seed germinates underground, spends its first year developing a root, spends the next few years producing progressively larger leaves, and finally, when it has stored enough energy in its rhizome, sends up a flower.
The whole process happens in deep shade, in short bursts of spring sunlight, at a pace much slower than most plants. A large patch of flowering trilliums could easily be 40 or 50 years old.
Picking the flower means removing the leaves, since they're attached to the same stalk. The leaves are the plant's only mechanism for photosynthesis. Without them, the rhizome can't recharge. Younger plants often don't survive it. Older ones may not flower again for years.
Look at it and leave it where it is. Don't pick a trillium.
@emelle4real Pepe LePew!!!! He is probably just scrounging for food now that he is furloughed from Looney Tunes during the pandemic. This reminded me of raccoons on the back deck of your parents house in Charlotte. 🦝