Shooting star
Swept-back magenta petals on a bare stalk. The shape is not decoration: it is a set of instructions for a bumblebee.
In brief
Primula hendersonii, Primulaceae.
- Perennial, summer-dormant
- Native from California to British Columbia
- Flowers February to April
- Fruit a capsule
Where it grows
Shaded slopes and oak woodland, from a basal rosette that has vanished by midsummer.
When it blooms
February to April, one of the earliest wildflowers on the land.
Seed and fruit
A capsule held upright on a stalk. The flower nods; the seed pod does not.
Here
Photographed on March 25, 2024 growing up through mountain misery. The petals sweep backwards and the black anther cone points down, because a bumblebee has to grip that cone and vibrate it at the right frequency to shake the pollen out. Buzz pollination: honey bees cannot do it.
By Yggdrasil Springs
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