Easily one of the most beautiful flowers in the world, and easily one of my favorites! They're so small and delicate and the fringe shape feels like they've embodied the spirit of the antlers of an Elk. As soon as I learned about these flowers, I was overwhelmed by a sense of wonder and I knew I'd have to meet them face-to-face to begin to understand them more.
Why are they shaped like this? Well, the primary pollinator for these flowers are hawkmoths! From what I can tell - to attract these nocturnal pollinators in low light conditions, these flowers have adapted their shape to have these wonderfully complex flowers to both maximize their pollination success rate and also stand out in a Lakeplain Prairie (where wildflower diversity is ABSOLUTELY NUTS) as an advantage as all of these flower species are competing against each other for the attention of pollinators.
Symbiotic Relationships are some of my favorite things to study (and I already loved both Hawkmoths and Orchids to begin with) but when I learned this - and finally met the Eastern Fringed Prairie Orchid in person - I knew I was hooked for life.
LIMITED EDITION OF 25 - SIGNED
8x10” digital print on 100# Cover Stock
Printed by Brownlee Press in Grand Rapids, MI.
Easily one of the most beautiful flowers in the world, and easily one of my favorites! They're so small and delicate and the fringe shape feels like they've embodied the spirit of the antlers of an Elk. As soon as I learned about these flowers, I was overwhelmed by a sense of wonder and I knew I'd have to meet them face-to-face to begin to understand them more.
Why are they shaped like this? Well, the primary pollinator for these flowers are hawkmoths! From what I can tell - to attract these nocturnal pollinators in low light conditions, these flowers have adapted their shape to have these wonderfully complex flowers to both maximize their pollination success rate and also stand out in a Lakeplain Prairie (where wildflower diversity is ABSOLUTELY NUTS) as an advantage as all of these flower species are competing against each other for the attention of pollinators.
Symbiotic Relationships are some of my favorite things to study (and I already loved both Hawkmoths and Orchids to begin with) but when I learned this - and finally met the Eastern Fringed Prairie Orchid in person - I knew I was hooked for life.
LIMITED EDITION OF 25 - SIGNED
8x10” digital print on 100# Cover Stock
Printed by Brownlee Press in Grand Rapids, MI.
