Tiger Lily and Meadow Saffron

What you see

The lily fills the upper part: its petals curl backward and release a bundle of long stamens that hang to the left, tipped with dark anthers. Higher still, on an arching stem, a green bud waits. At the lower right, two lilac meadow saffron flowers open on pale stems. The eye moves down from the large flower to the small ones.

The lily’s salmon pink is peppered with black spots and turns yellow toward the center. The meadow saffron, by contrast, is a soft lilac with orange stamens. The lily’s stem is dark and nearly straight. Notice the elongated anthers, like little black batons, and the leaves curling at the bottom.