May 1 Trout Lily Flowers

Trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) have had leaves up for six weeks, but just now are they starting to show their nodding six-petaled flowers. These are yellow and there is also a white variety, and there seems to be plenty of each in the Madison area. The first one I saw this week was in a tiny patch in the otherwise grassy front yard of an apartment on my street. Trout lily gets its common name from the brown speckles on its leaves as well as their tendency, as observed a while back, to grow along trout streams. If you find a little patch of these in a park that allows wild edible foraging, give a one of the leaves a try. They have a delightful apple-flavored crisp and make a nice addition to a spring salad.