The Walnut Creek Bike Trail in Des Moines is a popular avenue for cyclists and pedestrians year round, and for a few weeks every August, trail users are treated to a dazzling display of hearty amaryllis flowers.

The one acre plot of land belongs to the Shoemaker family.

William Shoemaker started planting the bulbs in the mid 1980s before the bike trail even existed.

Year after year, he added more to the mix, multiplying the field into hundreds of thousands of blooms.

William died in 2021 at the age of 93, but his legacy continues to live on through his son Bill Jr, who maintains the fields for passers by to enjoy.

New bulbs are sowed in the fall and the foliage is mowed down in June for a few months.

The field looks like a typical grassy lawn until the flowers come up in August.

The blooms first appear sparsely in shaded areas, but within a week the otherwise green field is carpeted in pink.

The flowers scientific name is “Lycoris Squamigera”, but they have many nicknames ghost lilies, resurrection lilies, naked ladies, or surprise lilies, to name a few.

The nicknames are fitting because they seem to rise out of nowhere like magic, reaching full height in as little as 2 or 3 days.

As part of the Amaryllis family, the flower structure is much like its siblings.

Each stalk is about two feet tall, with 5 to 7 pale pink, trumpet shaped blooms at the top of the stem.

The stamens extend far past the petals, attracting a variety of pollinators.

The flowers give an extra boost of color and fragrance at the end of the summer, when many other flowers have long since faded.

Thanks to the Shoemakers decades of dedication and growing and maintaining the fields.

The patch of hardy amaryllis flowers is a delight that anyone can enjoy.