2013-04-10

Bloom time: Calochortus catalinea (Mariposa Lily)

On April 2 I could see this.  Note the aphids on the stem.
On April 4th, this



On April 5th, this (an aphid on the inside about 2:00):


And on April 10th, these:

 I had previously speculated that the amount of blush on the petals had to do with their age, but having observed a few different blooms now at the same approximate age (on my hike and at teh San Pedro Annex), I think that there must be a strong genetic variation and possibly environmental contributions.  Nonetheless, from what I can see in these pictures, the petals have a redder appearance when not yet fully in bloom.  Perhaps the white parts grow faster than the red parts and therefore the red appears to fade.  I'm sure I could look this up, but it's fun to wonder for a bit.

2 comments:

  1. Lovely pictures-esp #2; even with the aphids. Very tulip-like. Ours are at 3" and it's snowing again. Whither Spring?

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  2. Thank you, Lisa. I worked hard to get those pictures with my iPhone 4S (a convenient and useful but not highly selective tool). The iPhone usually wants to focus on the stronger features in background, even if I longpress to force AE/AF.

    I hope your bulbs don't suffer from the cold snap.

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