The gorgeous green leaves of the trout lily are mottled with brown and purple.  This plant emerges in early spring, often before the snow and ice have have left the ground.  About two weeks later a brilliant yellow petalled flower with cinnamon colored stamen appears and persists until summer.  The trout lily is a low growing plant that forms colonies of plants of different ages.

This plant has a few common names, each pointing to some distinguishing characteristics.  "Trout lily" is derived from the mottled leaves to the coloring of the brook trout.  Adder's tongue, another name, refers to the similarity between a snake's tongue and its sharply pointed, unopened purple leaves as they poke through the dense forest litter.

Young trout lilies are flowerless and have only one leaf.  Older plants produce pairs of leaves and a single flower.  As a member of the lily family, the trout lily displays a common characteristic of having three petals and three petal like sepals.  Trout lilies grow best in moist, fertile woods but can adapt to many growing situations.  This plant will disappear in summer and surprise you when the next spring arrives.  It helps to have the area marked so you don't forget where it is.