Trout Lily © 2010 Bo Mackison
One of the earliest ephemeral spring flowers in Wisconsin is the trout lily. Large colonies of this flower appear in woodlands, as hundreds, even thousands of the lilies pop up from the forest floor in late April. The flower probably gets its name from the unusual brown mottled markings on its large leaves which resemble the brook trout. It also has several other common names, including Fawn Lily, Adder’s Tongue, and Dogtooth Violet, although the flower is a member of the lily family, not the violet family.
It blooms early in the season before the trees have leafed out and while the sunlight still reaches the floor of the forest. I saw large stands of it on Sunday while hiking the Woodland Trail in Governor Nelson State Park. This state park is an urban park located on the shores of Lake Mendota; downtown Madison and the Capitol building can be seen looking across the lake from the park’s shores and bluffs.
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Great photo and composition. I love the early Spring flowers.
Beautiful. 🙂
I always learn something when I visit your blog, Bo. Thanks!
Love the elegant simplicity of these wonderful wildflowers.
Large stands of this lovely flower must be quite a sight, Bo. Makes me want to visit your neck of the woods in the springtime!
What a pretty flower! We don’t have them here, but one of their close relatives is blooming now and tonight I ran across a small area just full of them. I’d love to see the Trout Lily myself!
A little bit of nature elegance.