Lilium michiganense (Michigan lily—family Liliaceae) occurs in widely scattered counties across Missouri. It may be more common than generally realized, as plants often become overtopped by canopy and receive insufficient light for flowering. Overtopped plants can continue growing vegetatively for decades, but they blend in with surrounding vegetation and go undetected. This single flowering plant was found among numerous nonflowering plants in a riparian woodland during a Webster Groves Nature Study Society (WGNSS) Nature Photography Group outing at Victoria Glade Nature Preserve in Jefferson Co. on 20 June 2026.
©️ Ted C. MacRae 2026
Beetles In The Bush 
As a native Michigander this post caused me to look up a range map for L. michiganense. It’s more widely spread than I had thought. – Peggy
The main part of its range is the upper Midwest, where it is much more common than here in Missouri.
I have often wondered if the buds of native lilies are often eaten by deer, and that’s another reason we don’t see them blooming.
I would imagine deer browse them heavily! There was a second plant near the first one that looked like it had a flower that had been browsed.