auratum said:Thanks Mike, Rick, & Della!
Mike - hopefully those seeds grow well for you.
Rick - these were growing in a ditch about 10 miles from my house. The ditch bank for these was very steep and I tried not to break my neck getting close to them to get the photos. The ditch below them has running water year round.
The environment you describe here is what I believe to be the absolute perfect surrounding for L. michiganense. They seem to love nesting their bulbs on a somewhat drier shelf with a plentiful and consistent moisture source down lower where their long roots can reach it. In a wet land prairie, such as Chiwaukee Prairie, which borders my property on three sides, the water table mimics these conditions where lowlands (swamp bogs) and uplands (oak trees) meet and where the water table is likely to be within a couple feet or less of the surface. Your example of a road ditch vertical profile is classic. Now, imagine gently spreading that profile over areas as large as football fields here and there---lots of L. michiganense. Also, they are most concentrated at an east to southeast to south side of a transition to upland. Your red one is a fine example.
Patrick and Mike: remind me next summer and we'll get together on pollen and seed.
