Pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) favors wet areas like seeps and stream banks. The image above was taken along the Clingman’s Dome Road in the Great Smoky Mountains where water was draining from the steep bank above it.
The botanical name Chelone derives from the Greek word for turtle. If you examine the bloom closely, it resembles a turtle shell with a head peeking out. Insects are lured down into the opening for pollination.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
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