Tag Archives: Coast Lilies

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Karen Wilkinson found a unique group of Coast Lilies. Lilium maritimum is only found in California north of San Francisco. A typical plant has as many as 13 nodding blossoms. But look what Karen discovered. She wrote, “I went to check in on Gentian on the ridge this morning and came across the most prolific Coast Lily plant I've ever seen.  21 open flowers, nine seed pods, and six buds that hadn't opened yet.” That would total 36 blossoms.

I sent Karen’s photo to botanist Peter Baye, and this was something he hadn’t seen before. He wrote, “That's not only exceptional, it's due to a deformation of the shoot tip during early flower bud development. Notice the flattening of the stem near the top? It's a fasciation. In this case, the ‘deformation’ of the shoot tip, or somatic mutation, doesn't affect the individual flowers. This is the only example of this I've ever seen in any native lily! Excellent find. Thanks! And thanks to Karen Wilkinson.”

Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photo with  you here, and for showing us something so unusual!

Not much fog this morning and ironically it's cooler, temps in the 60's. There are passing clouds which always adds interest to sky watching!

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Suzy Rudy wrote, “A heads up to local botanical observers. The nice patch of Coastal Lilies at the southern border of Salt Point State Park, northbound lane is blooming. The population is quite a bit larger than last year - no doubt the blessing of the year’s rains.”

These orange beauties are endemic to California and are now only found on the North Coast. A visit to Salt Point State Park would be a great choice for the holiday weekend.

Thanks to Susy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Super foggy this morning but the sun has chased the fog back over the ocean. It's a beautiful afternoon here on the Mendonoma Coast.

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Susan Rudy wrote, “The patch of Coast Lilies, Lilium maritimum, on Highway One at mile marker 38.8, is spectacular at the moment, and the population has grown considerably over the past several years. This beautiful, rare, endemic species is easy to see on the east side of the road, just inside the southern boundary of Salt Point State Park. It’s in the ditch/mowed verge, and continues for several hundred feet up the road.

I love seeing the bright orange-red flowers of Coast Lilies nodding on tall slender stalks. My neighbor has a patch by her spring box. They can grow three feet tall and more, but the ones Susan is referring to are shorter because of the mowing. Coast Lilies are pollinated by Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds when first opening, and then by native Bumblebees.

Thanks to Susan for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

It's very warm on the Mendonoma Coast. It's toasty even in Point Arena!

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In my original post, I wrote that these were Leopard Lilies, Lilium pardalinum, very tall lilies that bloom as early as May and as late as July. However, several readers have contacted me to let me know these are Coast Lilies, Lilium maritimum. They could even be a possible hybrid of the two.  A few weeks ago, Craig Tooley found this beautiful patch of these native wildflowers, kissed with dew.

Coast Lilies are rare. Promise me you will never pick them!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

Here in Anchor Bay the fog pulled back early, though it is hovering over the Pacific Ocean. Yes, it's sunny and mild today.

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Last week Sarah Flaim photographed the Moon with Jupiter far beneath it. Just lovely.

Thanks to Sarah for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

I had my first sightings of a wild rhododendron in bloom, a Pacific Rhododendron in bloom along side Highway One in Salt Point State Park. A patch of orange-red Coast Lilies is blooming along the highway too. This is a wonderful time of year on the Mendonoma coast.