365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Friday, March 22, 2019
Beautiful Snow Queens
Day 160: I first encountered Snow Queens (Synthyris reniformis) in Pack Forest half a dozen years ago, and every year since, I've made a point to visit the same site as soon as I think they might have emerged. They flower in the early season, although their blooming period is fairly long and it's possible you'll find them in shady, cool spots later in the year. I've even seen them as late as August when conditions are ideal. While their colour can vary from white to a rich lavender, their most striking feature is a pair of purple anthers which peek out from the frame of petals, rather outsized for the diminutive blossoms. This little plant is easy to miss, the flower spike standing only a few inches above ground-level, kidney-shaped leaves tinged with red; so easy to miss, I might add, that on the way back to the car, I was surprised to find another patch of them less than a mile from the trailhead. I'd walked right past them in the morning.
Labels:
Pack Forest,
Snow Queens,
Synthyris reniformis,
Windy Ridge
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