The trout Lily

 Trout Lily -

(Erythronium americanum) I first heard about this plant when I was just a kid read the book "My side of the mountain" by Gene George. I was just out in the woods walking around looking for signs of Morel Mushrooms AKA

Morchella. it is getting to be about that time of year when both plants are coming up. Theses 2 combined with Ramps AKA wild leeks are a great combo in a springtime feed. Added to beef or wild meat they form a delightful meal.

After searching a south facing slope for Morels and finding nothing I turned my attention to the Trout lilys. I harvested a few bulbs and will add them to my evening coleslaw mix

Please feel free to check out the information I have posted for your convenience.

https://www.auburn.edu/~deancar/wfnotes/troutliy.htm

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

In rich moist woods in early March, a tiny lily only six to ten inches tall can be found in the Piedmont and mountainous regions of Alabama. This beautiful member of the Lily Family has many common names, including Trout Lily, and Dog-tooth Violet.
The Trout Lily is pollinated by ants, and after a seed is planted, it will take up to seven years to make a mature plant. Only plants that have two leaves will flower.
The mature plant has two mottled basal leaves, and a small lily nodding from the top of a leafless stem (scape). The lily is yellow, with three sepals and three petals (six tepals). The sepals are yellow on the inside and purplish brown on the back. The petals are entirely yellow. The lily opens each morning and closes each night, but during the middle of a bright day the tepals open so far that they are all curved backwards (reflexed).The plant grows from a deep rootstock or corm which is three to five inches underground, and it often spreads from offshoots of this corm, thus creating colonies of trout lilies. They grow best in a deciduous woodland environment where they receive filtered light in the spring. They prefer a humus rich soil.