Taking action to give promise to the existence of the next generation is the primary goal of every living organism. Beautiful flowers sometimes exist to draw in pollinators and their scent adds to the effect. This reality sometimes results in confusion. These pictures allowed us to really see for the first time just how Cardinal Flower produces its seed.
Today holds the first appearance this year of these unbelievably bright red flowers in our gardens. This fresh display will continue for many days as new flowers continue to open higher on the stem. Their color absolutely catches the eye making looking for detail a difficult task. The reality that the first task of a freshly opened flower is to complete its fertilization ritual was never noticed until today.
Despite the early hour of my trip down to the mailbox, most of this flower's business has already been completed. The packed tube rising above the five petals was initially capped with a white collection of white filaments that resemble a neatly trimmed human beard. Yellow pollen grains quickly appear there. The stigma pushed outward collecting pollen in the process. Some white pieces of filament and yellow pollen grains fell on the petals during this process.
That pink swollen mass shows the state of the stigma after she gathered a full load of pollen. It will soon go limp as the pollen grains are moved to the base of the flower. There many seeds will grow to maturity.
We have seen these events unfold countless times but failed to realize that all of this happened on the morning that each blossom first opened. Only early risers with access to Cardinal Flowers have the opportunity to see this miracle of creation. Flowers remain intact for several days attracting both hummingbirds and butterflies. The purpose of these visits remains a mystery since pollination can only happen early in the morning with the flower parts quickly completing their tasks unaided.
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