Hooker’s palafoxia

If green predominated in the last two pictures from Bastrop State Park on September 6th, Hooker’s palafoxia, Palafoxia hookeriana, against a clear panel of sky presents quite a different color scheme, one in which pink carries the day. This is a larger and showier species than the small palafoxia you recently saw, but you have to travel a little east of Austin to begin finding it. It’s also different from small palafoxia in its stickiness, as you can infer from all those minuscule hairs with tiny droplets at their tips. What purpose that goo serves, I don’t know.

© 2013 Steven Schwartzman