Plant Peeps- For Your Eyes Only

I need your help.

I have know idea what this plant is.


Actually, that's not true. I know it's a lily.


"Now, now, now...Lilly."

Down, boy, Herman.

There's a simple reason I don't know. I didn't plant it. And, it has never bloomed until this year.

The blooming thing is not necessarily my fault. You see, after we moved into this house 5 years ago, the plant was already here. But Lucy kept cutting it down. She thought it was a weed, I guess.

Last year I convinced her to let it grow. The foliage was kind of cool, and you could tell it was not a weed, but it never produced a single bud. I thought whatever magic it had left in its bulbs must have been spent.


"Darn, darn, darn, darn!"

This year we got a lot of spring and summer rain, so it took off growing at a tremendous rate compared to last year. I might have given it a bulb boosting fertilizer last year, too, but I can't remember.

I was extremely grateful when I saw the first bud in late spring. Then more came. I waited patiently while they grew.

Now the anticipation turned to what color blooms I would have. At first it was yellow. Then a bright orange-red.

When it finally bloomed, I was stunned. It was so cool. The petals completely opened up, so much so that the tips stretched curvily all the way back to the proximal bud. Like little orange parachutes. They were peppered with black spots.







I had to turn the camera completely up to get a good shot of the center of the flower.




When I took the upside down picture, my hand got littered with pollen.


Now I need your help- what is this thing called?