in search of the elusive chocolate lily

Carl told me about a field of these rare lilies (Fritillaria camschatcensis), also known as rice-root lily, as the roots have fleshy grains that look exactly like arborio rice and were once eaten as a staple by native people in the area. After a truly lovely hike through Sliammon land, a wade across one of the inlets of Okeover and a barefoot, garter-snake infested slog through some muddy grasslands, we tracked our quarry down on the banks of an unknown stream. It wasn't quite a field but there were lots and they were more gorgeous and chocolatey than this photo shows.