It is a rush, when you work a trail, a former railroad tracks sideline, that skirts Akeley Swamp, and then discover Canada Lilies. We’re here in very western New York State, not far from Chataqua. Late June.

You stop, stare, approach and marvel. All this is patent pending, a take-it-to-the-bank response to encountering these extraordinary lily blooms.

They hang, poised and confident, on those slender strong stems. Their color is formulaic for some guys, lipstick red, bringing out the 19-year old in some. Gently lift the blossom, and you’re treated to the startlingly beautiful tiger lily coloration hidden from view.

They are found in small groups, always few in number. They so evoke the girls back in high school, back in the day that some here will recall, and others will never know.

Kudos to the Cr-ator.

Jeff