Tiger lily (Lilium columbianum) is a native wildflower found throughout western North America. However, this beautiful flower seems more fitting for a tropical landscape! Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth and most western Washington peoples steamed, boiled or pit-cooked its bulbs. Bitter or peppery-tasting, they were mostly used as a flavoring, often in soup with meat or fish. Bulbs are harvested between the flowering and seed setting stage. While they are considered a food source, tiger lily takes three to five years to mature from seed so we remind those who find it to leave the plants undisturbed. You can find them blooming in June through early August in lowland and montane forest openings and meadows, like those in the Sooke Hills covenant area.
