While wide-spread with many varieties, purple gerardia is new to me. Mostly because I think it gets lost in the overabundance of late summer. That and it grows in some pretty poor soil, basically sandy areas which are largely seen as waste lots full of weeds. Be that as it may, I got right down with the macro lens as soon as I saw these little beauties. They were in the parking area of the Musquash where a lot of other messy wildflowers grow.
They’re part of the snapdragon family which also includes foxglove and speedwell. I shot a few images at the start of my walk in the woods, and I had a feeling I’d snag a few more at the end. Oddly I couldn’t find this same flower at first. Then I realized that the flower had fallen off the stem and was lying on the ground with a bunch of others. Seems that the flowers are either very fragile or only last a day. Luckily it had a few neighbors with more tenacious blossoms –
They were sharing this little patch of the earth with some rabbit’s foot clover, which is really fuzzy and tinged with pink and green. It made for a really soft and billowy sort of background which I like for the delicate purple gerardia. Unfortunately the sun broke through the clouds for this shot and so my husband had to make some shade for me. I like the slight back-lighting. Ants seem to like this flower a lot. Maybe the nectar is especially sweet. No doubt that is very important to a flower that relies on seeds for continuation of the species.
I may head back there soon because there were other overlooked little beauties there, too. Tiny yellow flowers, that when closed, are dark red, as are the edges of the leaves here on the gerardia. I’m thinking of abstracts and soft-focus washes of color. Something different than what I do with spring wildflowers. High and late-summer flowers seem different to me. They are less structured and more intricate with colors and shades. Maybe it’s just me, but I like the distinction.
Wonderful shots!