Phenology Friday: Yellow Trout Lilies!
It’s April and Phenology Friday is back, which means it is the perfect time to observe yellow trout lilies. Yellow trout lilies are flowering plants that also like to beat the leafy overstory for some early spring sunlight.
The yellow trout lily earns its moniker from its mottled leaves, resembling brook trout. It is also called dog-tooth violet, not because it is a violet, but because of the shape of its underground swollen stem called a corm.
If you see these bright yellow blooms, don’t take them for granted! New plants can take up to five years to produce flowers. To compensate, the plants can reproduce or spread via their corms. These lilies will still send up leaves even without flowers to produce food for the mainly below-ground plants.
Image credits from left to right: ohai, kbarylski, and Mel Kelley
The way to tell if trout lily leaves will yield a flower? If there is a single leaf, it is immature, and will not produce a flower. If you see two leaves, the plant is mature and will produce a flower.
Don’t forget to keep observing the other spring ephemerals like Dutchman's breeches, spring beauties, and bloodroot!
Sources and further information:
https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/yellow-trout-lily/#overview
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