Lily Reseeding Efforts

The Cahaba River lilies are a worldwide attraction found in small patches on the Cahaba for a short amount of time during the summer. We had another successful year of reseeding efforts in hopes of bringing back the dwindling populations of the flower. The Cahaba lily populations are threatened by a series of issues, including human extraction (they will not survive in your backyard pond)!  With the assistance of 3 groups of volunteers, including our Swim Guide interns, and the guidance of US Fish and Wildlife, we retrieved the lily seeds along the shoals that would have washed away and been lost for reseeding. The seeds were then carefully placed in shoal beds that offered firm rooting where the lilies could properly grow. The Cahaba lily is a unique kind of plant that only blooms from mid-May to late June and has a spectacular-looking flower.