Day Lily
(Hemerocallis fulva)
Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake From All-Creatures.org Art and Photo Journals and Galleries Directory
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"And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31)
Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva)
Table of Contents
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 01) The day-lily, so called
because each of its flowers blooms only for a single day, sends forth its leaves in early
spring and its stalk and buds (pictured here) during the month of May.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 01a) The buds of the day-lily
develop at different times so that this wild flower will have many blooms over a period of several weeks.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 01b) By now some of you may be
wondering why we included these three day-lily bud pictures. The reason is a
combination of the ethereal quality of the pictures and the look (appearance) of the
buds. The bottom bud looks almost as though it has a face and mouth that is reaching
out to us to have it's chin stroked. To us, there is always something of beauty and
interest before our eyes in God's wondrous creation. We just need to take the time to see it.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 02) Day-lilies propagate from
bulbous roots (tubers) and form dense patches, and according to the literature, they bloom
from June to August. The ones in our area of the country rarely bloom past early
July. Day-lilies have long flat leaves that grow only from the base, which can be seen in
the lower left of the photo.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 02a) In this enlarged section of
the previous photo, we can see the day-lily's developing buds, blooming flowers, as well
as the shriveled flowers of a previous day. The scientific name of the day-lily is
Hemerocallis, a Greek name which means "a day" (hemera) "beauty"
(callos), and it is a beauty.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 03) As we gaze upon the uncommon
beauty of the common day-lily, we can well understand why Jesus used the lily in one of
His examples of why we should trust in God. He said (Matthew 6:28-30 NASV):
"And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?"
"And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?"
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 03a) There is also an inner
beauty to the day-lily. Note the way the six stamens and one pistil come forth from
the yellow bowl of the flower. The open end of the pistil is called the stigma,
which is designed to receive the pollen grains of another day-lily, carried to it by an
insect, so that the pollen can fertilize the ovules (seeds). The pollen grains can
be seen on the anthers atop the six stamens (we are looking at the back side of the anthers).
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 04) In the Bible, the prophet
Hosea also used the lily as an example of God's grace. He spoke forth for the Lord
and said (Hosea 14:4-5 NASV):
I will heal their apostasy,
I will love them freely,
For My anger has turned away from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
He will blossom like the lily,
And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
I will heal their apostasy,
I will love them freely,
For My anger has turned away from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
He will blossom like the lily,
And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 04a) In this close-up view of the
six day-lily anthers atop their respective stamens, we can get a better look at the pollen grains.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 05) Another distinguishing
feature of the day-lily is the wavy margin (edge) of the petals. It is interesting
to note that the sepals, which are the same color as the petals, have very little of the
wavy margin that is evident in the petals. The sepals are between and below each of
the three petals. Also note how far away the pistil extends to the right from the
six stamens, which we believe is to help prevent self-pollination.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 05a) In this picture, we have a
closer view of the wavy margin differences between the sepal (left) and the petals above
and below it. We also have another close-up view of the pollen grains on the anthers.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 06) One of the interesting and
"artistic" aspects of macro photography is the way the background fades out into
out-of-focus "near-background" objects, as is the other day-lily, and a blending
of unidentifiable color patches for the more distant background. To us it says,
"All the problems of this world can be left behind during the time we spend in the
sanctuaries of God's beautiful creations." Let us work together to preserve the
whole of creation (humans, non-humans, and the environment) in the beauty and goodness of
God's original intent.
(Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) - 06a) This photo presents us with
a close-up look at the pistil and stigma as it extends out over one of the petals.
There is something about this series that reminds us that everything in God's creation seems to work together to try to heal the corruption brought upon it. We can have a kinder, gentler, and more compassionate world, where no one will hurt and destroy, if we truly want it: a world upon which we can look with God and say together, "It is very good!", just as the Lord did when looking back upon the original creation (Genesis 1:31).
There is something about this series that reminds us that everything in God's creation seems to work together to try to heal the corruption brought upon it. We can have a kinder, gentler, and more compassionate world, where no one will hurt and destroy, if we truly want it: a world upon which we can look with God and say together, "It is very good!", just as the Lord did when looking back upon the original creation (Genesis 1:31).
| Wild Flowers of SHL: Photo Identification, Common Name, Scientific Name | Art and Photos |
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