Tolmie's Mariposa Lily: The 70th Flower of Spring & Summer!

When I saw this flower the first time, I could hardly believe my eyes, and as I stared in wonder, it instantly became one of my favorites as well. What a WEIRD flower!! It looks like it came from another planet! It's nicknamed "Pussy Ear" because of its similarity to a cat's fuzzy ears, and I agree!

This beautiful, unusual lily grows all over our property from one end to the other, except in our meadows and at the height of its blooming season, there are hundreds upon hundreds of these wonderful blossoms to admire. I'll have more pictures to share but for now, this and the one below will be my entries for the 70th Flower! :)

I was surprised to find that this flower is in a genus with about 70 other species which share this recognizable shape and can be found throughout North America. In fact, one species is Utah's State Flower!

If you would like more information about this amazing lily, Wiki has a very nice, picture-laden page here: Wiki: Calochortus