Turk's-cap Lily

 

As always, click the image to enlarge

A pair of Turk's-cap Lilies (Lilium superbum) creates an impressive candelabra of orange flowers. Between the two plants, there are twenty open blossoms, with more to come.

I was in Cullowhee, North Carolina, last weekend to speak at the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference. It's been going on for four decades, and is one of the largest such events with, I believe, somewhere around 500 attendees and an army of capable volunteers. I was there to speak about moths and their ecological importance as the Thursday night keynote. Thanks to the work of one of the Cullowhee volunteers, Lenny Lampel, who set up a pair of mothing sheets near the venue, we had a mothing party afterwards. I'd bet 100 or more people came to that and we had a great time. I highly recommend the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, and if you get the chance, go!

As an enormous bonus, the surrounding mountains are rich in a fabulous diversity of flora, including these Turk's-cap Lilies, which were common along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Conference field trips take attendees to many of the great botanical hotspots. Shauna and I spent a few days post-conference exploring the region, and I made many photos of interesting subjects. Hopefully, if time permits, I will post some of those with accompanying stories here.

A Turk's-cap Lily flower in its full glory. The scientific name's epithet, superbum (superb) is certainly apropos.