Red Clintonia - a burst of beauty in the dark forest

Red Clintonias, Clintonia andrewsiana, are just now blooming in coastal redwood forests. This member of the Lily family is a California native. It's also called Blue Bead Lily, for the beautiful, cobalt-blue berries the flowers morph into in the summer. That's if a Deer doesn't eat the flower head! Rick and I were lucky that this big, exquisite Red Clintonia wasn't eaten and bloomed this year. Last year we weren't so lucky. You might be able to see it is up against the red bark of a Redwood tree.

This particular plant stands about two feet tall. The flower will continue to open up in the days to come. What a gift to find this wildflower in the darkest part of the forest!