Common Name: White Trout Lily

Scientific Name: Erythronium albidum

Family: Liliaceae

Habitat: Woodlands, Slopes, Near Streams or Rivers

Native: Yes

Life Cycle: Perennial, Ephemeral

Bloom Time: Spring

Height: Up to 1 foot

Light: Partial shade to deep shade

Soil: Moist, Acidic, Well drained

Pollinators: Bees

Description: White Trout Lily, which is also known as White Fawnlily, is a native spring ephemeral which can be identified by its drooping brown stem, its curved white flowers, its yellow anthers, and its mottled green and brown basal leaves. In the morning, White Trout Lily opens its petals, but at night, its petals close until sunrise. White Trout Lily grows from underground corms and can colonize in ideal growing conditions, but can take up to six years to produce its first flowers. This photo of a White Trout Lily was taken in the Woodland Garden at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve.