Oregon Fawn Lily

Oregon fawn lily is a spring-blooming perennial native to moist woodlands, meadows, and open slopes of the Pacific Northwest. Emerging from a bulb in early spring, it produces two mottled, lance-shaped leaves at the base and a slender stalk topped with one to several nodding, white, lily-like flowers with gracefully reflexed petals and yellow centers. The flowers often age to pink as they mature, adding seasonal color variation. Plants go dormant and disappear as the summer dries out, only to pop up again the next spring. Ecologically, Oregon fawn lily is an important early nectar source for native bees and other pollinators, while its bulbs are revered as a traditional food source by native peoples of the region. They form swaths of delicate plants during springtime in the understory of moist woodlands.