Lost Lilies of the Field

Lost Lilies of the Field

Noel Laflin

12-3-20

I was with a friend at Irvine Park yesterday and was telling her about some pretty flowers that bloom in the spring and early summer - in particular, the Plummer's Mariposa Lily, as seen here. This photo was taken in mid-June, 2019. There were none to be seen in 2020, unfortunately; not enough rain, apparently, to bring them out of their dormancy, whereas the rains of 2019 were overabundant, leading to wildflower super bloom events throughout the Southland.

Two interesting facts about this pretty flower - it was once prevalent throughout the park in the early days of visitation, but has subsequently become quite rare due to so many folks that used to pick the flowers as bouquets. I have only seen half a dozen plants, and they hide way up on Horseshoe Loop Trail.

The other interesting thing to me is that the lily was named for Sara Allen Plummer (September 3, 1836 – January 15, 1923), an American botanist. She was responsible for the designation of the golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica) as the state flower of California, in 1903.

It too is now hard to find in the park due to overzealous picking by folks a hundred years ago.

And as pretty as golden poppies are, the Plummer’s Mariposa Lily would have been a fine choice as our state flower too.