"Butterfly" Lilies in the Forest

I am so appreciative of the many successions of flower blooms here in Montana! After the remarkable beargrass show we just had down in the valley, the mariposa lilies have come on in full force.

Mariposa means "butterfly" in Spanish. If you take a walk right now you'll see the tiny bright "butterflies" of individual mariposas scattered throughout the forest. In my mind they are the epitome of delicate – three creamy white petals blooming at the tip of a grey green stalk bearing one long, slender leaf.

Mariposas are in the Lily Family. There are five species of Calochortus in the Rocky Mountains. The species that grows around my home in Seeley Lake is Calochortus apiculatus, also called Cat's Ears because of the shape of its soft, hairy petals.

Calochortus was an important food for native people. The tiny bulbs offered the most substantial nutrition, though the whole plant is edible.

Native people were not the only ones to rely upon Calochortus. In 1848, when crickets decimated the Mormon's crops, it is said they survived by eating Calochortus nuttallii, Sego lily. In appreciation, they made the Sego lily Utah's state flower.

You know by now I am a bit of a botany sap but I am so moved by each tiny mariposa lily's beauty. The fact that collectively these small flowers have such a positive impact on me reinforces my belief that there is no such thing as an insignificant act.

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