Two very beautiful red “ladies” dazzling us with their beauty at this time are Gray’s Lily (Lilium grayi) and Fire Pink (Silene virginica).

Gray’s Lily is a rare find in our mountains, while Fire Pink can be seen in many locations. However, don’t take Fire Pink for granted as it is protected as a state endangered species in Wisconsin and Florida, and as a state threatened species in Michigan. Fire Pink is pollinated mainly by the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, being drawn to the bright red petals and sugary nectar. Each Fire Pink flower is composed of five notched, brilliant red petals which extend into a long tube. The stem and base of the flower are covered in short sticky hairs. Fire Pink begins blooming in late spring and continues throughout the summer. Fire Pink grows in open woods and rocky deciduous slopes.

Gray’s Lily, also pollinated by hummingbirds, was discovered by Asa Gray, father of American botany, in 1841. Gray’s lily is a delicate lily of the North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia mountains, and characterized by having purple-spotted orange-red drooping bell-like flowers in mid June-July. Although Gray’s lily generally grows to 2-3’, it can grow up to heights of 8’. It is restricted to high-elevation grassy balds, meadows, mountain bogs, and seeps along the North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia borders.

Gray’s lily is threatened by overgrazing by cattle, deer, rabbits, European wild boars, habitat destruction, illegal collecting, low capsule production, and canopy shading. It is also threatened by early senescence (senescence is a sequence of biochemical and physiological events that constitute the final stage of development) of flowering plants prior to capsule production which is caused by anthracnose, a common fungal pathogen.

Enjoy these beauties….please, never attempt relocation of these rare creations.

Each moment of the year has its own beauty . . . a picture which was never before and shall never be seen again. --Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) philosopher and writer

Gray's Lily. Photo by Brenda Hoss


Fire Pink. Photo by Brenda Hoss


Fire Pink. Photo by Brenda Hoss