This One’s for You

The dimpled trout lilies (Erythronium umbilicatum) started blooming last week; I came home from a business trip on Thursday, Feb 7 and one clump already had flowers. It was wonderful to see them, as always, and perhaps just a smidge earlier than last year where my first picture has a date of Feb 11. It’s always a race between them and hepatica (Anemone americana, formerly Hepatica nobilis  var. obtusa) to see which shows up first.

Dimpled trout lily (Erythronium umbilicatum) 2019

This early sign of spring is much loved by me and many others. One of my friends died this week after being suddenly diagnosed with late stage cancer. The dimpled trout lily was one of her favorites. As a volunteer for the National Park Service and the Georgia Botanical Society, she spent many hours leading field trips in February and March to places where the trout lilies bloomed.  Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area was a favorite area and she would showcase the trout lilies there at Cochran Shoals/Powers Island and at West Palisades/Paces Mill.

Dimpled trout lily (Erythronium umbilicatum)

She also liked to help people get native plants into their gardens, and she used her role as a rescue facilitator with the Georgia Native Plant Society to help people rescue trout lilies that were in the path of construction.

Land conservation was also important to her and so she was very happy when Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve in South Georgia was saved in 2009.

She leaves behind a lot of friends inspired by her joyous love of nature and tireless zeal to encourage others to know, love, and conserve it. For me, the dimpled trout lily will always remind me of her. This one’s for you, Maureen.