Avalanche Lilies (Erythronium montanum) grow in the high country here in the Northwest.  They look so delicate, yet have amazing cold tolerance.  They often bloom in patches where the snow is still melting.  In good years they cover meadows in such a thick carpet that from a distance it's hard to tell the flowers from the snow.  This is one of the earliest flower photos I've taken, from July 1990, still a favorite.  It creates a mood of the coolness of a spring forest walk, when everything is green and bursting with new life.  Friends have remarked that this photo looks more like a painting because of its soft colors.  

Glacier Lilies are a close relative of the Avalanche Lily and are sometimes mistaken for it.  

My longtime friend Mary accompanied me on the hike to Wahtum Lake where I found these lilies.  These flowers are for you!