Elephant-Head Pedicularis

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.

Native Bleeding-Heart

Day 213: On May 5, I posted a photo of the commercially-cultivated Asian Bleeding-Heart in my garden and mentioned that it is both larger and more colourful than our native variety. They bear the same species name, Lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly Dicentra spectabilis), but I suspect there is subspecies nomenclature I have not been able to unearth. This charming plant is easy to grow, but prefers a shady or semi-shady site where its roots will be kept cool and moist. The stems and roots are fragile, so once you've planted your Bleeding-Hearts, don't disturb them and they will reward you for many years to come.

Bleeding-Heart flowers have a unique physiology. Each blossom is composed of four petals. The two outer ones form the pink "heart" which gives them their common name. The inner two petals are the pointy bit which projects from the bottom of the heart. These petals fully enclose the reproductive structures of the flower and never open. The flower is cleistogamous, i.e., it self-pollinates within the confines of these petals and never requires a visit from an external pollinator.