Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium)
Like lots of old-fashioned spring ephemerals this one comes with a slew of funny folk names like dogtooth violet, adder's tongue and fawn lily to mention a few. But what's an ephemeral you say? Just like the label implies these flowers are fleeting. Born atop broad foliage spotted like a trout, the nodding blooms of trout lily appear in early spring and then vanish, going dormant for the rest of the year. The one pictured is the cultivar 'Pagoda'. During the time it blooms this adorable native plant is a source of food for early emerging bees.
Type: Corm, Spring ephemeral
Habitat Function: Nectar plant for native bees
Attracts: Bees
Landscape Use: Woodland garden, naturalizing, ground cover
Hardiness: Zones 4-9
Color: Clear yellow
Native: To North America
Light: Dappled shade beneath deciduous trees
Soil: Moist, somewhat acidic soil
Water: Takes advantage of spring rains, tolerates dry shade while dormant
Size: 12-14 inches tall
Did You Know? Ants help ephemerals reproduce. They carry the seeds to their nest where the young feed on fatty deposits on the seeds call elaiosomes. The discarded seeds then germinate and form new colonies.
