Prepare yourself to fall for among the South’s most charming blooms– the Cahaba Lily. These fragile, fragrant flowers appear for just a few brief weeks between Mother’s Day and Dad’s Day, transforming Alabama’s rivers into a scene right out of a dream. Their fleeting beauty has long inspired poets, photographers, and nature enthusiasts alike. If you’ve never ever experienced them face to face, now’s the time. Let’s dive into the magic of this unusual and remarkable flower.
What Is a Cahaba Lily
Image Credit: Jenn Coleman. The botanical name for the flowers is Hymenocallis coronaria, a type of spider lily
. They provide new, pure white flowers every morning that fade throughout the 
day. By evening, their fragrance fills the air with a sweet fragrance that draws in nocturnal pollinators like the plebeian sphinx moth. Where Do Cahaba Lilies Grow? Picture Credit: Jenn Coleman. Cahaba Lilies need sunlight, swift-moving water, and seasonal flooding to endure. At one time, you could discover them in every river in the South East, particularly along the fall line between the Appalachian Highlands and the seaside plains. Now, just seventy-five approximately stands remain 
throughout Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina because of habitat loss and water contamination. What Is the Cahaba River National Wildlife Sanctuary?< img width ="1024 "height="682"alt="Cahaba Lilies on Cahaba River Alabama" src=" image/svg+ xml; nitro-empty-id=MTE3MjoxMDUx-1; base64, PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTAyNCA2ODIiIHdpZHRoPSIxMDI0IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjY4MiIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4="/ > Image Credit: Jenn Coleman 
. The Cahaba River National Wildlife Haven is a nearly 4,000 acres National Wildlife Haven situated in central Alabama, along the Cahaba River downstream from Birmingham, Alabama. It safeguards the biggest remaining stand of Cahaba Lilies on the planet. What Took place to The Previous Largest Stand of Cahaba Lilies?< img width="1024"height=" 682 "alt= "Cahaba Lilies on Cahaba River Alabama "src ="image/svg +xml; nitro-empty-id =MTE4NDoxMDgx-1; base64, PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTAyNCA2ODIiIHdpZHRoPSIxMDI0IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjY4MiIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4="/ > Image Credit: Jenn Coleman. Squaw Shoals on the Black Warrior River utilized to be the world’s biggest stand of Cahaba lilies. At one time, it held over a mile of flowers until it was dammed for flood control and navigation. Unfortunately, the lilly stand has actually flooded below Lock 17, and hasn’t flowered considering that the task completed. What Can We Gain From Cahaba Lilies? Image Credit: Jenn Coleman. Cahaba Lilies need fresh water and rapids to survive. Pollution and human advancement has actually ruined much of their habitat, which is a few of the most biologically diverse communities on the planet. Mile for mile, the Cahaba River is more biologically varied than the Amazon or Congo Rivers. The damming of the nearby Coosa not only stopped the Cahaba Lilies from growing there, but stimulated “among the biggest extinction rates in The United States and Canada throughout the 20th century, with the extinction or extirpation of nearly 40 freshwater types.”
What’s Best Method to See Cahaba Lilies
Picture Credit: Jenn Coleman. You can see Cahaba Lilies from the coasts in the National Wildlife Haven, or
by kayaking the river. You can likewise see them in
other spots in Alabama such as the Tallapoosa River streaming into Lake Martin on the Harold Banks Canoe Path. What is the Cahaba Lily Celebration Picture Credit: Jenn Coleman. The Cahaba Lily Festival is an annual event of the lilies in West Blocton Alabama with music and keynote speakers. They likewise run trips to the sanctuary for people to see the Cahaba lilies in their natural habitat. Do You Need A Boat to See Cahaba Lilies? Picture Credit: Jenn Coleman. You do not require a boat to see Cahaba lilies. There are numerous spots where you can see them from the coasts in the National Wildlife Sanctuary. Nevertheless, you will not have the ability to reach Hargrove Shoals without a boat. Also, the weekends during the flowering season are very busy, so
it is best to come during the early mornings or afternoons. Final Fun Truths About Cahaba Lilies Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman. Here are a few reward enjoyable realities about Cahaba Lilies: How do you take care of a Cahaba Lily? Short response here is you can’t grow Cahaba lilies at home. They need an extremely particular environment of fresh, tidy, streaming water. However if you enjoy Cahaba lilies, you can participate in river cleanups and advocacy that safeguards free flowing rivers and keeps them tidy.
Can you choose a Cahaba Lily? The Cahaba lily is an unusual, though not federally threatened or endangered, flower. That being stated, lots of locations it grows are protected locations with general rules about getting rid of any plants and some, like the city of Helen, have particular policies forbiding elimination of Cahaba lilies.
What are other names for Cahaba Lilies? Cahaba lilies’ Latin name is Hymenocallis coronaria, however they are typically known as shoal lily, or shoals spider-lily.
Cahaba Lily FAQs
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman. When do Cahaba Lillies bloom? Cahaba lillies normally flower from Mother’s Day to Daddy’s
Day. When is the Cahaba Lily Festival? The Cahaba Lily Festival happens every year in mid-May. Where is the Cahaba River National Wildlife Haven? The Cahaba River National Wildlife Sanctuary is near West Blocton Alabama. Parting Ideas About Seeing Cahaba Lilies at the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge Photo Credit: Andy Montgomery via Flickr. Cahaba Lily blooming season is roughly Mother’s Day
For more information on paddling the Cahaba River, have a look at the Cahaba Blueway.
Hi! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-based Gen X couple sharing our stories of incredible experiences through activity-driven transformational and experiential travel.