Shootingstars / 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