Capitate My Capitate

The flowers are starting to wane now, although some (like the milkvetches, the oxitropes and River Beauty) are just starting to come into their own.  This year there seems to…

The flowers are starting to wane now, although some (like the milkvetches, the oxitropes and River Beauty) are just starting to come into their own.  This year there seems to be an abundance of Capitate Lousewort (Pedicularis capitata) . Dsc01032

My guide to things Arctic, A Naturalist’s Guide To The Arctic by E.C. Pielou has them as being rare on Baffin Island.  I’ve found them to be quite common in this neck of the woods, and this year they are extremely common, and seem to be everywhere.  Perhaps its just the year of the Lousewort as the Wooly Lousewort (Pedicularis lanata) were also everywhere this year.

The flowers of the Capitate Lousewort remind me of Court Jester’s hats, with their three banana shaped flowers.  Their colour is a slightly different shade of yellow, not evident in my photo, that stands out from the other yellow flowers here. They are conspicuous even from the truck as you drive by.

And speaking of colour, the Arctic Poppy (Papaver radicatum) is usually yellow, however can be white. I noticed a small clump of white Arctic Poppy yesterday as I drove to Victor Bay.  White Arctic Poppy are apparently more common in areas with less sun.  Perhaps after the last three summers we’ve had we’ll be seeing more and more white ones.