I was looking for the pretty, mottled leaves of Trout Lily yesterday, and was surprised to find some flowers already open. I have always thought these leaves should have been part of the list of dappled things in Hopkins' Pied Beauty, especially given the homely names this flower bears--Trout Lily, Yellow Adder's Tongue, Dogtooth Violet.
2 comments:
Though the trout-lily's blossoms are so much fun to see, shyly nodding as they do, the leaves are really the main attraction. The subtle mottling is a balm for the eyes, and they have a certain cool (not quite clammy) feel to them. Their "feel" reminds me of basil leaves, which can feel cool and moist on a hot early summer day.
I like how the plant forms colonies, carpeting moist areas of woodland with an expanse of semi-random mottles, which look a lot like leaf-shade-dappled patches of forest floor later in the spring when the leaves have emerged.
I agree--the leaves are the best part.
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