Blue Bead Lily (Clintonia borealis) © William Britten use with permission only

Blue Bead Lily (Clintonia borealis), also called Yellow Bead Lily or Yellow Clintonia, is one of two Smoky Mtns wildflowers named for long-ago Governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. The other one is Speckled Wood Lily, or White Clintonia. The reason these yellow wildflowers are called “Blue Bead” refers to the bright blue bead-like fruit that forms later in the summer.

This yellow lily is smaller than its white-flowered cousin, and is a Northeastern plant occurring at the southern extreme of it’s range. In the Smoky Mtns it grows only at higher elevations. Almost any trail along Clingmans Dome Road will feature these petite beauties with their delicate and ephemeral blooms in late-May or early June. The Spruce-Fir Nature Trail has especially thick concentrations, as seen in the photo below.

Smoky Mtns wildflowers (Clintonia borealis) © William Britten use with permission only

Smoky Mtns wildflowers (Clintonia borealis) © William Britten use with permission only

The William Britten Gallery on Glades Rd in Gatlinburg, TN features my complete display of Smoky Mtns photos. There may be a Smokies memory there for you to take home!

Also, if you are a wildflowers enthusiast, please join my Smoky Mountains Wildflowers Community on Facebook. We trade photos and tips on bloom locations.

Spruce-Fir Nature Trail with hundreds of lilies set to bloom