There are several things that might be contributing to this.  It would be very helpful for you to send us some pictures of the affected plants, especially ones showing the areas where the buds used to me as well as some closeup pictures of leaves at both the bottoms and the tops of the plants.

Many thanks

Hi Steve. I will send a few photos of my affected lilies. Hope this helps. Thanks! Kathy

Hi Steve. I will send a few photos of my affected lilies. Hope this helps. Thanks! Kathy

Our apologies for the long wait in getting a response! There may be several things going on with your lilies - weather, moisture, virus, insect damage, nutritional needs - or a combination of these. Heavy rains can create excessively wet conditions that compromise plant health and cause the plant to drop buds to preserve energy in the rest of the plant. Bulbs can also start to rot from too much water and poor soil drainage. You can dig up bulbs and examine them. Then amend soil with compost or peat to improve drainage before replanting. Add bone meal to promote good bulb health. Storms can also damage plants, breaking off buds and leaves. 

The middle picture looks like you may have mealy bugs or cottony scale (the white fluffy dots on the stem). These can be treated with insecticidal soap or horticultural oils that can be purchased at your local garden center.

The third picture looks like the plant is in need of nutrients - note the dull, pale green leaf color. When plants are in need of nutrients, they will drop buds in order to re-direct energy to the root - it's a sort of self-preservation function.

Again, my apologies you did not get an answer sooner. Hope this is helpful!

Thank you, Julie. That helps a lot!!  Kathy