Coltsfoot, Petasites Palmatus

Day 160: Coltsfoot doesn't exactly fall into the category of "pretty little wildflowers," but it is one of the first to emerge from wetlands in the spring, often even preceding Skunk Cabbage. Male and female blossoms are borne on different heads and, like our yellow Skunk Cabbage, the flower stalk emerges before the leaves. In my personal observations, I have noticed that the mildly stinky flowers attract both flies and a particular tiny black-and-white moth (species unknown, note to self - poss. Rheumaptera hastata), suggesting that these insects are the plant's chief pollinators.