#2404 "Singleton Tiger Lilies"

I do not remember planting these lilies. Our Singleton garden is pretty much self planted and designed for the native birds and the bees. I stood in the middle of the flower bed starting at noon Friday August 7th, 2020. It was a beautiful day with no biting bugs. 

When I paint outside I barely leave behind any footprints. I certainly do not leave any carcasses. A jumping spider was all over my small panel. I wonder what it was thinking? The natural world has an innate intelligence that we can only guess at. Do not underestimate it... 

There is an old legend from Asia about the Tiger Lily. Apparently a Korean hermit helped a wounded tiger by removing an arrow from its body. The tiger asked the hermit to use his powers to perpetuate their friendship after his death. The hermit agreed and when the tiger died, his body became a tiger lily. Eventually the hermit drowned and his body was washed away. The Tiger Lily will spread everywhere searching for its drowned friend. In addition, according to some, smelling a Tiger Lily will give you freckles. The Tiger Lily stands for wealth and prosperity. The Tiger Lily is also known by a host of different names in different parts of the world. Some of the synonyms are: Lilium tigrinum, Devil Lily, Kentan, Lilium lancifolium, Leopard Lily, Pine Lily, Lilium catesbaei, Columbia lily, Oregon Lily, Western Wood Lily, Chalice-Cup Lily and Western Red Lily. 

Remembering High School biology, the Tiger Lily has six stamens with each composed of anthers and filaments. There is a single long pistil composed of the stigma, style and ovary. Tiger lily flowers (Lilium lancifolium or Lilium tigrinum) can reach several feet tall. They grow in mass atop a single stem, featuring curved sepals that complement the black-flecked orange petals above. Black bulbils will appear in the axils above the leaves. Learning how to grow tiger lilies involves planting the bulbils and waiting as it may be five years before these produce tiger lily flowers. 

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