Finally Yellow Pollen

Some events in the garden take years to see and photograph.  For example, arbutus pollen has never been seen here despite the fact that we look for it every year.  It is present for only a very brief time and we always miss seeing it.  The same is true for Cardinal Flower pollen.  In this case the issue is further clouded by the commonly stated assumed fact that hummingbirds pollinate Cardinal Flower blossoms.  Must be I am not the only person that had previously never seen the yellow pollen.  Today we were in the garden at precisely the moment that the yellow pollen was present.

Look closely at the photo. The tube that a hummingbird explores can be seen at the point where five flower petals and the support for the sexual parts meet.  Adjacent flowers also show the depth of this tube.  Unfortunately for the scholars that restate the fact that pollination is carried out by birds, the clearly seen location of the yellow pollen is a considerable distance above the opening visited by them.  There can be little doubt after seeing these pictures that Cardinal Flower can be self pollinating.

Look carefully at the flower centered at the left edge of the picture.  That is the female stigma that pushed past the white beard that was heavily laden with pollen.  No trace of either the beard or the pollen can now be seen. The head of this stigma is presently swollen in response to its harvesting the pollen.  The white beard was ripped apart by the expanding stigma.  As this structure completes its task of sending the pollen  all of the way down the tube to the base of the flower where the seeds will form, the head is emptied of its pollen load and shrinks in size becoming limp.  In relatively short order the pollen was gathered and sent to the base of the flower.

This act of collecting pollen and transporting it to where the seeds will form is over in a matter of minutes.  No hummingbirds were in the area as this event unfolded.  I can offer no plausible explanation for what draws the birds to the flowers.  The tubes they penetrate are open and could collect water.  If nectar is present, I can see no benefit from it being there.  We are entertained by a single bird claiming ownership of our Cardinal Flowers.  It drives away any other life form that ventures near the red flowers allowing only its offspring near the flowers.

At this point in time, I believe that we have seen everything that there is to see about this plant.  Open flowers are reaching the top of the stalk and next year's daughter plants are beginning to form at ground level.  Life goes on and we feel fortunate to have witnessed the process that yields the seeds for another generation.