This brilliant bloom of a red spider lily is the subject of the Big Woods Nature Trail’s September Photo-of-the-Month.
Elton Gish, a Lumberton resident who is a frequent visitor of the trail, located at Heritage Village in Woodville, is the photographer.
Red spider lilies quickly naturalized in Texas after being introduced from Japan in 1854 through the New Orleans port. The bulbs, which contain a toxic alkaloid should not be ingested.
The plant also contains another alkaloid which can be extracted and has been approved for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
