Spider Lilies and Sulfurs

A hot dry summer and a cool rain brought out the Red Spider Lilies ( Lycoris radiata ) seemingly overnight. Oddly, they were a deep hot pink a couple of years ago, but are a clear red this year. It must have something to do with the soil, since I added a couple of rounds of organic fertilizer and some greensand in the last year.

I like the color, and so, apparently, do the butterflies. I looked out this morning and thought that half my lilies had mysteriously turned from red to gold. I couldn't get the Sulfurs to stay in one place long enough to get a real group shot, but there were 6-8 fluttering around the flowers at any one time.

(Panasonic DMZ-FZ28, 12 September 2010)

Comments: 20

Angela M. Sep 12, 2010, 2:47pm UTC

Beautiful photos!

Ada D. Sep 13, 2010, 10:06am UTC

Thank You, Angela! I have fun doing them.

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Natalie Neal Whitefield Sep 12, 2010, 2:51pm UTC

Fabulous photos! Thank you so much for sending your beautiful photo essay to Home Comfort Group. We are featuring it this week!

Ada D. Sep 13, 2010, 10:08am UTC

Thanks, Natalie! I pop over to your group at least once a week to see what other people have posted. I always find some wonderful photos that are worth the visit.

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Sandre M. Sep 12, 2010, 4:08pm UTC

The lilies and butterflies are such a wonderful color counterpoint to each other. Just great!

Ada D. Sep 13, 2010, 10:09am UTC

I likes the contrast of the yellow-green against the red. The butterflies were in such constant motion that it was hard to capture more than a blur, though.

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Angela M. Sep 12, 2010, 6:08pm UTC

those are beautiful I planted some this spring but didnt get blooms, maybe next year if Im lucky

Ada D. Sep 12, 2010, 6:23pm UTC

They tend to create their own timetable for blooming no matter how much you pamper them or neglect them. They seem to like the dry, hot summer weather followed by rain, and they hate being disturbed. Mine reproduce like crazy and I keep digging up blooming bulbs from the middle of the yard and replanting them in flower beds - where they sulk for a year or three before producing a single bloom each. I still have no idea what minerals caused the change in color from salmon to hot pink to bright red.

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Ms Lee P. Sep 15, 2010, 11:13pm UTC

They are lovely. I did a post on my red spider lilies today and someone told me about your pictures I had to come take a look. They are beautiful and your pictures are certainly prettier than mine. My camera is a very inexpensive one and is very limited but I do what I can with it. My naked ladies were a light red this year and I have so many of them and they put on quite a show. Mine a quite old (can't remember just when I did plant them maybe 20 years ago) and they have multiplies over the years to my delight. I just wish they bloomed longer. Once again, I love your pictures.

Ada D. Sep 16, 2010, 8:33am UTC

Lee: I likes your, too!

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saimy :. Nov 21, 2010, 9:31am UTC

Beauty.

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Kabba T. Dec 1, 2010, 4:13pm UTC

Oh these are some really pretty shots!

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Linda M. Dec 18, 2010, 3:52pm UTC

Really pretty. I don't think I have seen any spider lilies before.

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Angela M. Jun 5, 2011, 4:44pm UTC

do you spider lilies have leaves i bough some bulbs this spring and have them planted all i have so far are leaves i though they bloomed on a stalk before they got leaves, these are really beautiful