This was my first photo of a Lemon Lily growing in the wild. It was breathtaking.

Shortly after moving to Idyllwild in 2010, I became aware of the plight of Idyllwild’s native Lemon Lilies. They grow in only a few places on the planet at high altitudes and close to water.

Because of their beauty, in the early 1900s bulb hunters came to Idyllwild and took virtually all accessible plants and removed them from the mountain. I would imagine that these plants did not survive in environments down the hill as their needs are very unique.

One day while hiking in the high country, a local botanist discovered some Lemon Lilies thriving there. And he rediscovered one of Idyllwild’s treasures.

The town rallied around the effort to restore Lemon Lilies to their creek side homes. Bulbs with genetic connections to the mountain were located and purchased, and the restoration project is still underway.

Each year an event is held to honor the town’s beautiful wild flower. And I was inspired to create lots of material to raise awareness of the Lemon Lily’s plight. A children’s book, a video documentary, a website, and I even designed t-shirts for kids (of all ages).

You can find activities and information about Lemon Lilies on my GrandmotherMountainStories.com website. And you can find more information about my Lemon Lily book on the Children’s Books page.