Pine Lily
By LYNN ARTZ, DAVID RODDENBERRY, and SANDY TEDDER
In late summer, the striking flowers of pine lily (Lilium catesbaei) attract the swallowtail butterflies that pollinate them. Each large flower has 6 brilliant red-orange petals with maroon-spotted yellow nectar guides at their base. Single flowers top erect unbranched stems up to 3 feet tall. Palamedes swallowtail butterflies are the main pollinator. Also known as Catesby’s lily or southern-red lily, this long-lived perennial is native to the southeastern US. Pine lilies thrive in open mesic-to-wet pine flatwoods, wet prairies, and savannas throughout Florida. They depend on frequent fires and blooms often increase post-burn. In Florida, pine lily is a state-listed threatened species. Its habitat continues to shrink due to fire suppression, wetland loss, development, and deer. In Wakulla and Franklin counties, pine lilies still occur in public conservation lands, especially St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.