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Treasure
Under the Trees
Rare Lilies Bloom for a Short Time at Grady County Preserve
words & photography by Katherine Russell
There is a treasure under the trees in a small patch of forest outside of Whigam , Ga ., where the gold appears for just a few months out of the year .
The bright yellow flowers of the uncommon Spotted Trout Lily reach the peak of their bloom season in mid-February at Grady County ’ s Wolf Creek Trout Lily Preserve . The lilies adorn the forest floor for a few weeks before going dormant until early next year .
These special flowers – named for the coloration of their leaves , which is said to resemble the speckled belly of a trout – are rarely seen outside of Appalachia . Fortuitous conditions , such as a north-facing slope , plentiful water , and just the right kind of soil make this shady hillside an enclave for the flowers and the forest community they dwell within .
The lilies grow on approximately ten acres of the 140-acre preserve . Within these ten acres , each square foot may host more than one hundred lilies .
The bright golden beauty of the Spotted Trout Lily is to be seen only in the afternoon , only on sunny days , and only for a few weeks out of the year .
52 MoultrieScene MAY 2022