I say it up front, because if I just call them surprise lilies, somebody will try to embarrass me in front of more people later by saying “We call those naked ladies!” Yes, they are called that, too, I know. I beat you to the chase and have put it in the title of the blog.
I’ll hop to the point. We’re used to the naked stalks of Lycoris in the South, and it comes in all forms and fashions, but California (and other parts of the world) has it’s own surprise lily, Amaryllis belladona:
This was sent around today on a bulb e-mail list. I hope you will take the time to check out his flickr account.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amarguy/
He mentioned this bulb has been surviving here since construction began three years ago.
Chris Wiesinger, the Bulb Hunter, founded The Southern Bulb Company to share his finds with the world. 
