WILD CHILD: I Spy a Trout Lily

Have you ever wished you knew just a little more about the plant and animal life you see when you head outside? Even experts started learning with just one plant.

This week see if you can spot a trout lily as you walk through the forest. Their leaves have started peaking above the ground. If you spot a plant with several leaves, be sure to check that plant over the next few weeks. You will be rewarded with a bright yellow flower to confirm you found the right plant!

Trout Lily/Adders Tongue
This pretty flower is just popping up in the London forests. Look for dark green leaves with lighter brown or grey spots that resemble water spots (some people say they look like brook trout).

In a week or two you should start seeing a yellow flower on a tall green stem with six petals and red brown stamens resembling a snake’s tongue. This flower comes up early, before the trees leaf out. This makes it one of the first flowers you can find in woodland areas in the spring.

Like a lot of early spring plants (called ephemerals) Trout Lilies only produce a single leaf for their first 5-7 years of life as they store energy in they brief spring time before they sun is hidden by tree leaves. After those years the plant uses the stored energy to make a bright yellow flower. See if you can spot young and mature plants on your walks.

Written by Tandy Morton, WILD CHILD Playgroup Facilitator