Looking for a unique and beautiful flower? The Cahaba Lily, also known as Hymenocallis Coronaria, is a type of spider lily with fresh, snow-white petals that bloom each day. Follow along for 8 fun facts about this gorgeous and elusive flower!
Cahaba Lilies are pollinated at night by nocturnal pollinators like the plebeian sphinx moth.
Cahaba Lilies need lots of sun and moving water to survive. They used to be all over the Southeast, but now there are only around 75 left because of pollution and homes taking up their space.
The world’s largest remaining stand of Cahaba Lilies is the nearly 1 mile long Hargrove Shoals located in the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge in central Alabama, along the Cahaba River near Birmingham.
Squaw Shoals on the Black Warrior River used to be the world’s largest stand of Cahaba lilies.Tragically, the lilly stand has flooded and hasn’t flowered since.
Mile for mile, the Cahaba River is more biologically diverse than the Amazon or Congo Rivers. The damming of the nearby Coosa River sparked “one of the largest extinction rates in North America during the 20th century, with the extinction or extirpation of nearly 40 freshwater species.”
One of the best ways to see Cahaba Lilies from the shores in the National Wildlife Refuge, or by kayaking the river.
The Cahaba Lily Festival is an annual celebration of the lilies in West Blocton Alabama with music and keynote speakers.It usually takes place in late May.
You don’t need a boat to see Cahaba lilies. There are several spots where you can see them from the shores in the National Wildlife Refuge.
However, you will not be able to reach Hargrove Shoals without a boat.