Photo and text by Don Paulson
Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum)
As winter snow fields loosen their icy grip in the alpine meadows, glacier lilies often provide a lovely opening act for "Spring in the Mountains". Amazingly these plants can generate enough heat to melt their way up through the last remaining inches of the winter snow pack. At times (June - July) the meadows are awash with masses of these clear yellow blossoms.
Erythronium (pronounced
air-ith-roe-nium) means red - the color of some species,
and grandiflorum means large-flowered. Look for Glacier
lilies in the lush subalpine meadows around timberline
along the Hurricane Ridge or Obstruction Point Roads.
Even without the showy flower, the pair of large,
elliptical leaves provide a clear guide to locating this
plant.