A North American Spring Bulb, the Trout Lily

Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum

A walk through the woodland area behind my house was rewarded by the sighting of  the Michigan native Erythronium americanum,  or Trout Lily. The open area between the wetlands and my gardens is an oak woodland forest. Tall trees now bare until the new leaves re-appear, offer the filtered light many woodland species, including the Trout Lily, need to grow. The Trout Lily, or Fawn Lily or Dog-tooth Violets, as they are also called, are found in thick masses or clumps. They form low mottled patches hidden by the layer of leaves and mixed in the rich moist humus soil they love to reside in.

Trout Lily

Michigan Lily Lilium michiganense

A member of the Lily, Liliaceae, family, the nodding flower  6 -10 inches high can be found on the top of a leafless stem or scape.  Mottled, gray, green and brown leaves mimic the markings of the brook or brown trout. This blooming season, co insides with trout fishing season, could this explain the naming of the plant? Only plants with 2 leaves will flower. Single leaves forming the massive clumps, will take up to 7 years to mature and then bloom. The flower has 6 tepals, consisting of 3 yellow backed by a purple/brown mottling sepals and 3 yellow petals. The lily opens each morning and closes every night. In their exuberance to open to the filtered light, the tepals open so far that they curve backwards, much like the Michigan Lily that blooms later in the summer.

The flowers are pollinated by ants that crawl about the forest floor. Once the flower blooms and has produced its seeds, they disappear, as fast as they appeared, under the carpet of oak leaves. They are best used in plantings of shade or woodland gardens. Spreading of the corms, which can be found 3-5 inches underground, is how this plant spreads and also makes this plant hard to remove. Why would one even consider doing so? Take a walk in the woods today and look for the Trout Lily. Michigan Trout fishing in designated streams opens the last Saturday of April. Visit www.Michigan.org for more details.