August means Naked Ladies

If you are new to the Petaluma or Sonoma County, you may be surprised that all of a sudden tall pink flowers are everywhere. If you have lived here awhile, you know that means it’s August and school will be starting soon. These perennials grow wild along roads throughout the county, one of my favorite places to see Naked Ladies is along Highway 1 from Bodega Bay to Jenner. The official name is Amaryllis Belladonna, known as Naked Ladies Lily due to their lack of leaves while in bloom (the leaves appear in spring, while the flowers bloom in fall). My understanding is these lilies are from South Africa and in the 20’s and 30’s the bulbs were considered ‘exotic’ and given as gifts. The bulbs are easy to split so could be shared with friends and neighbors and now we are so lucky to see them bloom without human intervention every year.