Day 280: One of the highlights of my short hike to Snow Lake two days ago was finally getting a decent picture of Elephant-Head Pedicularis (Lousewort). The problem has not been that the plant is scarce; it's that my camera doesn't like pink/purple shades, and especially not when the subject is in full sunlight. Invariably, my photos either had blown-out highlights or were too "flat" to be attractive.
It's easy to see where Pedicularis groenlandica got its common name, and if you were of a botanical mind, you might wonder what type of insect is responsible for the pollination of the species since access to the reproductive structures is very constricted. The answer is surprising: bumblebees! The bees do not have to contact the anthers in order to gather pollen. Instead, as their wings vibrate, pollen is shaken loose in a puff and transferred to the stigmae. It has been suggested that this unique adaptation is responsible for reproductively isolating the species from the possibility of hybridization with other Louseworts.
