Fiddleneck: The 60th Flower of Spring & Summer!

Yesterday I posted a picture of a crab spider on the stem of a Fiddleneck flower. Here is the flower he was on!! :D I love these orange-yellow flowers with their unfurling blossoms, and until we moved here, I had no idea there are so many flower species that unroll like this! We have several types that I can think of: Popcornflowers (about 4 species), Forget-Me-Nots, and these Fiddlenecks!

Fiddlenecks get their name from their unfurling appearance, which looks like the head of a fiddle! :) There are 11 species of this flower and they are native to western North America and south-western South America, but are now found in many other areas. They are poisonous to livestock and will cause skin irritations if handled. Some species were once eaten and used for medicinal purposes by Native Americans.

If you would like to know more about this flower, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Fiddleneck