Oregon Fawn Lily: The 22nd Flower of Spring!

I seem to find a lot of wonderful discoveries along the ridge line that runs from our property, through our neighbor's property, and onto public "BLM" (Bureau of Land Management) land. Nobody ever goes there, as the ridge is steep and there are only a few houses in the area. This suits me just fine as I wouldn't want to run into another person alone! I often take the dogs, who think this is the best walk on the planet! On this day, we went to the end of the trail as usual, which is about a mile from our house, and on the way back, I looked down and gasped in surprise. A CREAM-COLORED FAWN LILY growing right in the middle of the trail! OMG!!! Moosie and Zoe were thundering all around so quickly urged them away from the flower and we headed back. It was too late to return with my camera so the next morning I returned to the spot...and...it wasn't there!! OH NO!!! I looked very carefully all the way to the end of the trail and then walked back even slower, looking carefully as I went. Suddenly, there it was, dazzling in the early afternoon sun! What a prize!

Oregon Fawn Lilies are in the genus, "Erythronium", which includes the beautiful "Henderson's Fawn Lily" that I posted a week or so ago. There are 20-30 species in this beautiful group of perennial plants, and they grow from tooth-like bulbs in forests and meadows throughout the Northern Hemisphere. I was amazed to find that you can purchase bulbs for sale of this species and many others!! Far Reaches Farm: Oregon Fawn Lily

For more information about the Erythronium family, Wiki has a concise directory here: Wiki: Erythronium
If you would like to know more about this flower, there's a nice source of information here: Oregon Fawn Lily.Here is another very nice page: Oregon Fawn Lily