Cascade Calicoflower

downingia yina

The Cascade Calicoflower is a charming, delicate annual herb native to the wetland habitats of western North America, particularly the Pacific Northwest. Thriving in the ephemeral muddy margins of vernal pools, wet meadows, and ditches, this plant paints the landscape in brilliant shades of blue and violet during the late spring and early summer. It plays a crucial ecological role in its specialized wetland communities, providing pollen and nectar for native insects when seasonal waters recede. As a member of the bellflower family, the Cascade Calicoflower is celebrated for its intricate floral architecture and its rapid life cycle that perfectly adapts to the wet-to-dry transition of its native habitats. This makes it a captivating subject for botanists and nature enthusiasts alike.

生息地: Found in seasonal wetlands, vernal pools, muddy shores, and damp mountain meadows.

外見

Cascade Calicoflower stems are typically erect or decumbent, growing between 10 to 40 cm tall. The flowers are small, around 1 to 1.5 cm wide, featuring a striking bilateral symmetry with a bright blue or violet corolla. The lower lip of the flower is broad and divided into three rounded lobes, prominently marked with a central patch of white and a bright yellow throat. The upper lip consists of two smaller, narrower lobes that curve gracefully upward. Narrow, lance-shaped leaves line the delicate stems, which can sometimes exhibit a reddish tint.

界Plantae門Tracheophyta綱Magnoliopsida目Asterales科Campanulaceae属Downingia

Cascade Calicoflower

カテゴリ

植物

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

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おもしろい事実

Its seeds can remain dormant in dry soil for multiple years, waiting for the perfect hydrological conditions to trigger germination.

The dazzling blue displays created by masses of Downingia flowers are often visible from a distance, resembling patches of water reflecting the sky.

The genus Downingia was named in honor of Andrew Jackson Downing, a prominent 19th-century American horticulturalist and landscape architect.

特殊能力

Successfully times its germination and rapid growth cycle to coincide with the drying phase of seasonal vernal pools.

Features contrasting white and yellow nectar guides on its lower lip to direct native bees directly to its reproductive organs.

Produces tiny, lightweight seeds that are easily dispersed by seasonal water flow to find new moist colonizing sites.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 10-40 cm
体重: 0.001-0.01 kg
寿命: 0-1 年

食性と食事

As a photosynthetic plant, the Cascade Calicoflower produces its own energy using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, while absorbing essential minerals from wet soils.

主な食物

Sunlight
Water
Carbon dioxide
Soil nutrients

生態系とのつながり

mutualism

Lupine Mining Bee

Andrena lupinorum

Pollinated by solitary bees seeking nectar and pollen.

competitor

Medusahead Grass

Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Competes for space and moisture in vernal pool margins.

eaten by

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Foraged upon by native grazing ducks in drying wetland basins.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Cascade Calicoflowerを見分けるには？

Cascade Calicoflowerを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Cascade Calicoflowerの長さは何ですか？

10-40 cm

Cascade Calicoflowerの体重は何ですか？

0.001-0.01 kg

Cascade Calicoflowerの寿命は何ですか？

0-1 年

Cascade Calicoflowerは何を食べますか？

As a photosynthetic plant, the Cascade Calicoflower produces its own energy using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, while absorbing essential minerals from wet soils.

Cascade Calicoflowerは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found in seasonal wetlands, vernal pools, muddy shores, and damp mountain meadows.