Buckbean Flowering

If you are within driving distance of a bog, June is prime time to visit.  Pitcher plants, orchids and many other acidic-loving plants are in flower at this time of year.  One of my very favorites is Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata). 

Buckbean’s elaborately fringed petals are unique.  The most plausible explanation for this seems to be that the intertwined, twisted fringes prevent small insects, which are not functional pollinators, from reaching the flower’s nectar.  Larger bumble bees, flies and butterflies, which, for the most part, manage to avoid becoming entangled in these fringes, do reach the nectar and are effective pollinators.

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