Brodiaea Elegans

brodiaea elegans is a member of the lily family that grows in small clusters from small multiplying bulbs. common flower in dry areas of the western coast the us. it blooms from may to august. i i found these beautiful specimens in a burn zone in northern california this summer. these flowers were able to suvive the fires because their bulbs were protected by several inches of soil above them. bulbs are fascinating as they have the ability to actually dig themselves deeper into the soil. even the bulbs you planted in your garden last fall at a deoth of 3-6 inches are probably deeper that now.

bulbs develop contractile roits that respond to blue light penetrating the soil and pull the bulb have slowly deeper into the soil horizontal. some bulbs have even been dug up from depths over a foot deep from the surface hey were planted at. next time you get flower bulbs, look and see if the surface has bumps that look like wrinkles. these wrinkles are scars from the pulling and moving through the soil. amazing.

i love flowers and plants so much 🌹