Restoration of the Shoal Spider Lily

Found only in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina, the Shoals Spider Lily (also known as the Cahaba Lily, Shoal Lily, Rocky Shoal Spider Lily) is native to our Chattahoochee River. Since 2015, multiple groups and organizations have been working hard in the Chattahoochee Valley to return this once native species to the river basin and establish a sustainable population. 
This project is a partnership between Nearly Native Nursery in Fayetteville, GA, the CRC and Whitewater Express in Columbus, GA. Thousands of Shoal Lilies have been planted along the 2.5 mile long whitewater stretch in Columbus in those 6 years, and many more will continue to be planted until the Chattahoochee River returns as one of the largest populations of the Shoals Spider Lily in the world. 
Quick Facts
  • Requires shallow, swift moving water and direct sunlight to thrive
  • Only a handful of populations exist to date
  • Flowers typically bloom Mother's Day to Father's Day (early May to late June)
  • 2 to 3 years to reach maturity
  • 4 to 5 years to reproduce
  • Thought to be pollinated by the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly and the Sphinx Moth
  • Loss of habitat (dams) and sedimentation leading to decline of populations
  • ​Under consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act
  • First observed in 1783 by William Bartram in the Savannah River near Augusta, GA
Native stand of Shoal Lilies on Flat Shoals Creek, Harris County, GA