Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Fire Pink


Fire Pink (Silene virginica)
(photo by Jo)

Habitat: Rocky woods, ledges, wooded slopes.

Origin: Native to U.S.

Range: Eastern North America, except for the extreme northeast.

Comment: The "pink" in this wildflower's name has nothing to do with color. Instead, it refers to the notches at the end of the petals. The petals appear to have been pinked.





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10 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Jo is worth more money Marvin. You should give her a raise. That photo is great.

Tom said...

A true beauty.. love how the petals split like a snakes tongue

Anonymous said...

I don't think I have ever seen this flower and should have. I wonder why? It is such a neat flower and must require something special we don't have here.

Small City Scenes said...

Beautiful Photo as all the pics on your blog are. Silene out here are usually low creeping plants used in a rock gardens. Similar flower, though.
Glad you made it home safe and sound. MB

Andree said...

Is this blooming where you are now? I hope they bloom here. it says "except for extreme northeast": it's hard to know what they mean by that since the northeast of the continent is like Labrador or something. And I have never seen them here and we certainly have rocky woods.

Marvin said...

Lisa: Jo has me. What more could she possibly want? :-)

Tom: The bright red color certainly makes them stand out in the woods.

Abraham: Yes, it seems like you should have fire pinks. "Ours" seem to be clustered around water sources, a small woodland pond and seeps.

Mary Beth: While y'all have a different species, it sounds equally pretty.

AndrΓ©e: The USDA link shows a distribution map and listing of states. Sorry, but several northeaster states, including Vermont, are not listed. :-(

Texas Travelers said...

Really great photo and I like that you gave an explanation.

The petals remind me of a big red mouse-eared chickweed.

There is rain coming your way.

Troy

Lana Gramlich said...

Oooooooooooooh...PURdy. :)

Q said...

Very lovely!
I think you and Jo could print a field guide for your area and sell them. Your wildflower photos are very lovely.
Sherry

Texas Travelers said...

I was scrolling through your blog again and stopped to admire the enlarged photo of the "pink".

This is a great photo. Love it.

Troy