Out in Michigan this weekend we were lucky enough to see the cardinal flower, which grows in the same wet areas where, in the spring, you would find skunk cabbage or marsh marigolds.
A brilliant red flower in these parts is a rarity, and the cardinal flower, though not so rare to be endangered, is not abundant enough to be spotted easily. Its late flowering, in forested areas where one hardly expects to find blooms, adds to the pleasure of seeing it.
A member of the lobelia family, the cardinal flower grows throughout the Americas. I have read that, because of the blossoms’ deep throats, the ruby-throated hummingbird is its only pollinator. If true, the hummingbirds are in luck, for we saw a surprising number of cardinal flowers this weekend.
Perhaps it would be better not to share this closeup. I was so excited to be seeing this flower that I wasn’t concentrating on the camera sufficiently. Behold the blinding abstraction that for now will have to stand as a proxy for something better. The blossoms are delicate, complexly formed things. Now that’s red.
Harley says
Really great photos of that rare flower; especially the close up. You are correct-that is one totally briliant red !!……………I’ve been lucky enough to see a few of them too. Quite a remarkable flower and un-usual to be pollinated only by a very specialized type of hummingbird. Thanks for the great post.
Celia says
You’re welcome, Harley. Cool that we share this enthusiasm. C.
Jeffrey Zablow says
Celia,
I was pleased to see that you visited wingedbeauty.com. Now I’ve come to visit Celia’s blog, and what do I find? Fresh, sharp images, many that make Chicago gleam and sparkle! Probably one of the best portals to see the Chicago that Celia clearly loves.
Jeff
Celia says
Gee, Jeff, that’s very kind of you. (Pennsylvania is one of my favorite places as my parents originally hailed from there.) I hope some of my readers visit your blog to see your beautiful photography (and read your quotation from a historical source about that cloud of yellow butterflies!).
I do appreciate Chicago’s beauty, including the natural beauty to be found in its parks. I also do many posts about Berrien County, Michigan, which I often visit, and which has educated me about snakes and bogs and turtles and such.
Thanks again for the kind words!
All the best,
Celia