Marsh Marigolds

Day 260: I will make no attempt to justify the common name "Marsh Marigold" as it applies to Caltha leptosepala, but one source suggests that "marigold" derives from the expression "mare's-galls" and refers to the gall-like shape of the buds. That said, the plant is not even remotely akin to garden marigolds (Tagetes). It doesn't even belong to the same taxonomic family (Tagetes is in Asteraceae, Caltha in Ranunculaceae). "Marsh" is accurate; it is a denizen of wet pockets and seeps in the subalpine areas of the Pacific Northwest. The newly emerging buds exhibit brownish-pink petals on the exterior, a colour which persists on the adult flower, although this tinting is not readily apparent in a top view. To me, Marsh Marigolds are one of the species most evocative of mountain meadows, moreso even than Western Anemones or Avalanche Lilies, and perhaps rivalled in my mental accounting only by Bog Gentian. They always make me smile.