“Consider the lilies of the field how they grow. They don’t toil nor spin. Yet not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.”

— Luke 12:27

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”

— Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), Dutch painter

One of the first harbingers of autumn raised her pretty red head last week. Just beside the rabbit hutch there was a single flaming red spider lily. She stood tall and strong like a flagpole. Even with a bit of wind she didn’t bend. I also saw one or two spider lily stalks but no red flower had emerged; my single girl was just that — single. The next morning temperatures had dropped to the lower sixties and the humidity was all but gone. A few leaves were turning colors and not just brown. We’ve been blessed with intermittent rain showers after a season of drought predicting autumn is on the horizon. The first day of autumn is Thursday, September 22. I guess every first day of a new season is a bit exciting. The earth changes — as do many of our routines — perhaps our diets, very possibly our clothing. The time won’t change until November 6 this year. How odd. I always thought it was in September. No matter, I rarely know what time or day it is anyway.

More about the lovely spider lily. She is known by other names as well: surprise lily, red magic lily, red spider lily, equinox flower, hurricane lily and naked lady. Perhaps “naked lady” came from a stalk suddenly appearing wherever she chooses with no leaves and no flower. As she blooms if you look closely, you’ll see 6 tiny green stems symmetrically splayed in a circle. From each tiny stem comes six red petals. From the center of the petals come six stamens. At the end of the stamen is the anther where the pollen is found and where butterflies imbibe.

Spider lilies grow from bulbs. Ours bloom randomly from earlier years of dirt excavation. The bulbs can possibly be bought locally. They can certainly be purchased online and come in different colors-red, white, pink, orange, and yellow. Once I saw a rare blue spider lily advertised. Spider lilies are hardy, perennial, and require little care. It’s best not to over water bulbs in spring and summer as they are dormant until their unexpected appearance. They abhor being waterlogged.

Bulbs should be planted in late summer or early autumn. They should be planted a little apart following the 6-inch rule. The pointy side should be upward and slightly above the soil. Tamp down the surrounding soil. They are mostly impervious to insects, deer, rodents, and diseases. In all probability the flower will not bloom the first year. Once the flower is established it will multiply in clumps. The garden manuals suggest the spider lily be exposed to at least 6 hours a day of sunlight. However, some of our randomly growing spider lilies bloom in total shade. It was during the dirt excavation that many were shoved into the woods where they still bloom and multiply annually. This could be a freak of nature so don’t trust me on that one.

Spider lilies will last quite a while indoors in a vase. For that reason, I plucked my single lady and invited her to join us at the breakfast table.

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].

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