Trout-lily or Adder's-tongue Wildflower, Ohio
This photo of a colony of Trout-lily (Erythronium americanum), also called Adder's-tongue, was made in April 2004 in Germantown MetroPark in southwest Ohio.
These bright yellow early spring woodland wildflowers are so named due to the mottled purple-brown splotches on their leaves, which are similar to the coloration and pattern on the sides of trout. In fact, in certain pristine forest areas in the eastern United States and Canada, the wildflowers can live on or near the banks of the same streams that those cold-water fish call home.
In this case, Twin Creek in Germantown MetroPark is not cold enough to be a trout fishery, but is instead a warm water stream. Even so, it's been found to be the most biologically diverse stream in Ohio, making it a special gem in its own right.
Photo location: Germantown MetroPark, Montgomery County near Dayton, Ohio.
