A prairie crocus bends under the weight of raindrops on it's furry petals on the side of Grotto Mountain in Canmore, Alberta.
A Prairie Crocus bends under the weight of raindrops that coat it's furry petals on the side of Grotto Mountain in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The Crocus is a common wildflower in the montane ecoregion of the Rocky Mountains. Although this flower, also called the prairie anenome, or prairie smoke, can be found in much of the northern Hemisphere, this particular group was photographed after a spring rain on the west facing slope of Grotto Mountain in the Bow Valley. Native grasses surrounding this specimen bend in similar form under the weight of moisture. Commonly referred to as a 'harbringer of spring', this perennial flora blossoms shortly after the snow disappears. The Crocus is part of the Buttercup family, and has blue or purple petals and bright yellow stamen. The petals (actually sepals) are covered in tiny whooly white hairs. Distributing seeds in clusters from it's pistils, they are often found growing very near to each other, and new clusters each year grow close to where the previous groups were. Much of the actual prairie population has been diminished due to ploughing and cultivation in much of the native grassland.
Size: 5700px × 3800px
Location: Grotto Mountain, Canmore, Alberta, Canada, Canadian Rockies
Photo credit: © Brian Van Tighem / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: alberta, blossom, blossoming, bow, brian, bvt, canada, canadian, canmore, cougar, creek, crocus, damp, details, dew, dewdrops, ecoregion, flora, flower, flowering, flowers, forest, grass, grotto, hillside, montane, mountain, mountains, mountainside, natural, nature, plants, prairie, purple, rain, raindrops, rainy, rockies, rocky, spruce, tighem, valley, van, wild, wildflower
