The annual eruption of Goldenstar lilies has commenced!

I visited Scioto County in southern Ohio last Wednesday, and high on the priority list was a stop to see the Goldenstar (Erythronium rostratum). This state-endangered plant occurs in only two locales in the state, both close to one another. The motherlode is in the drainage of Rocky Fork, and there it occurs by the tens of thousands. The mass synchronous blooming is a sight to behold, and you've got to be speedy. It only lasts a week or so. The plants were not yet at peak when I was there, and I bet this weekend is prime time. The place to go is the Arc of Appalachia's Gladys Riley Goldenstar Preserve.

This is NOT a Goldenstar. It is a Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum). This species is really common and occurs throughout Ohio and far beyond. Good chance it is in your local woods. If you see yellow trout lilies somewhere, the odds are astronomically in favor of it being Yellow Trout Lily. It almost certainly WILL NOT be Goldenstar, unless you live in one of the regions shown on the map below.

I have learned that I have to mention the species above in no uncertain terms when writing about Goldenstar. Maybe it will stop the numerous reports that ensue of people reporting that they too have Goldenstar in their local patch. Goldenstar blooms about two weeks earlier, has orangish-yellow anthers, and holds its tepals (petals, basically) out on a flat plane. The fruit also has a prominent beak, but hardly anyone notices the fruit. With Yellow Trout Lily, the tepals recurve strongly, sometimes almost touching their tips, and the anthers often become a brownish-purple color.

This is a map showing the total range of Goldenstar. The green counties indicate specimen records. It probably no longer occurs in many of them. Goldenstar reaches peak abundance in Arkansas and adjacent Missouri, and overall has a very scattered and patchy distribution. Note how disjunct the eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio populations are. While the possibility of discoveries of new populations always exists, any new finds would likely mesh with this pattern and be close to known sites.

Here's a close encounter with a Goldenstar flower, showing the characters I mentioned above. It's truly a handsome flower, and quite conspicuous.

A showy trio of Goldenstar flowers rises from leaf litter. One of the allures of this lily is that it blooms so early, in advance of most other wildflowers. Its blooming period seems to be shifting. My earliest photos of this species date to the mid/late 2000's and they were flowering in the first week of April. Back then, and prior to then, it was thought of as a first or second week in April bloomer. Now it seems to consistently flower in the last week of March, sometimes even a bit earlier.

Here's a ground-level view of Goldenstars peppering the forest floor. The big tree is a White Oak (Quercus alba). American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Black Birch (Betula lenta), maples (Acer spp.) and Red Oak (Quercus rubra) are other common woody associates.

I hope you can make the trip to the Gladys Riley Goldenstar Preserve and see these beautiful wildflowers with your own eyes. If you do, I'd suggest making a day of it and visiting the Ohio River Bluffs Preserve, another Arc of Appalachia site. The wildflower show there must be seen to be believed, and it will also be nearing peak this coming weekend.