The Legend of the Toad Lily

Tricyrtis ‘Imperial Banner’

Once upon a time, there were several garden fairies out enjoying a cool late summer’s evening.   They were having a marvelous time, drinking dew drop tea and eating bits of acorn muffins, when one of them spied a little white lily shaped flower.

All the garden fairies thought the little white lily looked rather plain and decided right then to give it a new look so it would stand out more in the garden.

They debated on what the new look should be. Some of the garden fairies thought the flower should have stripes. Other garden fairies argued it would be prettier if it were one solid color.

Back and forth they discussed, debated, and argued.  Stripes. Solids. Stripes. Solids.

Nearby a little toad named Toadalina was listening in.  After a while she got tired of hearing the garden fairies go on and on and decided she would paint the white lily herself and it wouldn’t be stripes or a solid color.

Toadalina chose spots for the lily because after all, she had spots on her skin and she thought she was quite the prettiest toad she’d ever seen.  She wasted no time after deciding, on the spot, to put spots on the lily.

She picked up a brush made out of the finest bird feathers and gathered up some paint made out of the petals of the brightest asters and proceeded to paint spots all over the flower.

When Toadalina was finished, she hopped back, admired her handiwork, and left for the evening.

The garden fairies, so intent on their discussion about stripes and solids, never noticed the little toad.  Just as they were about to call a recess to their discussion, because the dawn was fast approaching, one of the fairies saw the now spotted lily and exclaimed, “How pretty! It’s spotted like a toad.  We shall call it a toad lily.”

Then off they went back to their own homes, happy to no longer have to debate “stripes or solids”.

Because clearly the answer was spots.

The End.