Chocolate lily (Fritillaria lanceolata)

Fritillaria species have become quite uncommon in the wild. We didn’t notice the many lilies until we made our return trip. The checkered flowers turn their heads down — so that the Pacific Northwest rain doesn’t wash away their pollen, or so I’ve heard — and the dappled appearance blends incredibly well into leaf & moss littered grown. The subtle flowers finally caught our eye, and we spotted one, then another, another, another.

Rare, and beautiful.