Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Dodecatheon

Found this little Shootingstar just off Elbow Falls Trail, at Maclean Pond, in Kananaskis, on 12 June 2014. They are such exquisite wildflowers! Unfortunately, a single flowerhead doesn't quite fit into a macro photo, but I have to balance that with being able to get a soft, blurred background. "The genus (Dodecatheon) is largely confined to North America and part of northeastern Siberia. Common names include shooting star, American cowslip, mosquito bills, mad violets, and sailor caps. A few species are grown in gardens for their showy and unique flower display. The stamens are thrust out with the sepals bent back. The flowers are pollinated by bees, which grab hold of the petals, and gather pollen by vibrating the flowers by buzzing their wings (buzz pollination). The vibration releases pollen from the anthers." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodecatheon

Beautiful magenta Shootingstar wildflowers, photographed at Bow Valley Provincial Park on 18 June 2013. I have taken many photos of these flowers over the last few years, but find it almost impossible to get a photo that I really like. Just love their colour. "Dodecatheon is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. The species have basal clumps of leaves and nodding flowers that are produced at the top of tall stems rising from where the leaves join the crown. The genus is largely confined to North America and part of northeastern Siberia. Common names include shooting star, American cowslip, mosquito bills, mad violets, and sailor caps. A few species are grown in gardens for their showy and unique flower display. The stamens are thrust out with the sepals bent back. The flowers are pollinated by bees, which grab hold of the petals, and gather pollen by vibrating the flowers by buzzing their wings (buzz pollination). The vibration releases pollen from the anthers." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodecatheon

Beautiful magenta Shootingstar wildflowers, photographed at Bow Valley Provincial Park on 18 June 2013. Can't remember for sure, but I think the background was the distant river way down below. "Dodecatheon is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. The species have basal clumps of leaves and nodding flowers that are produced at the top of tall stems rising from where the leaves join the crown. The genus is largely confined to North America and part of northeastern Siberia. Common names include shooting star, American cowslip, mosquito bills, mad violets, and sailor caps. A few species are grown in gardens for their showy and unique flower display. The stamens are thrust out with the sepals bent back. The flowers are pollinated by bees, which grab hold of the petals, and gather pollen by vibrating the flowers by buzzing their wings (buzz pollination). The vibration releases pollen from the anthers." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodecatheon

These small, native wildflowers are exquisite. The stamens are thrust out with the sepals bent back. Every now and then, I need to add a splash of a totally different colour in my photostream, so, even though I did post a similar photo ages ago, I thought this photo would do the trick, ha. Photographed at Maclean Pond, off Elbow Falls Trail, on June 10th. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodecatheon

"The name Dodecatheon has its roots in the Greek words twelve (dodeka) and gods (theos). Pliny gave this name to a spring flower, thought to be the primrose, which was under the protection of the twelve principal gods." I think I'm right in saying that we get two species of Shootingstar here, but I can never remember which is which. Found and (macro) photographed this individual flower out in Kananaskis, at Maclean Pond, on June 10th. Just love the colour of the magenta sepals. If you have time, you might enjoy watching this short video of a young Lowland Gorilla at the Calgary Zoo who loves break-dancing. Her spins and fancy footwork are amazing! shar.es/Hdj4D