White Trout Lily © 2012 Patty Hankins
I’ve photographed the White Trout Lilies (Erythronium albidum) at Turkey Run Park in Virginia a few times now. They bloom in the early spring (at the same time as the yellow trout lilies) in the Washington, DC area. On the right day at Turkey Run Park, it’s not uncommon to see close to 100 yellow trout lilies – but only 3 or 4 white ones. So I was thrilled to find this one particular white trout lily among a sea of green, just waiting to be photographed in the afternoon light.
Like the yellow trout lilies, White Trout Lilies play an important role in the forest community. The leaves capture and store phosphorus in early spring, which is then returned to the soil as the leaves die during the year. The early-blooming flowers provide pollen and nectar for queen-bees and serve as an energy supply for emerging worker bees. Bee larvae feed on the pollen – and then go on to pollinate other plants such as clover and alfalfa.
White Trout Lily is one of the wildflowers featured in my 2015 Wildflower Calendar. You can order your copy from my website.
