Tiny Flowers

Out in the expansive vistas of Halibut Point I occasionally reverse focus to admire lilliputian wonders of the landscape.

Bluets - Houstonia caerulea

They might appear in crevices, at the base of trees, or within the towering jumble of a meadow.

Purple agalinis - Agalinis purpurea

How many such tiny flowers would fit on the platter of a dime?

Bird's-eye pearlwort - Sagina procumbens

Each one contains in miniature the architecture and intricacies of the botanical world.

Four-seeded vetch - Vicia tetrasperma

If you were shrunk to a tenth your size and gazed up, tiny wildflowers would have the aura of orchids.

Carey's smartweed - Persicaria careyi

Some have a preference for wetlands.

Sessile-leaved bellwort - Uvularia sessilifolia

Some accomplish their flowering cycle early in the woodland season before the tree foliation reduces light reaching the forest floor.

Whorled loosestrife - Lysimachia quadrifolia

Some have succeeded in the full sun of dry quarry grout piles, pointing blossoms to pollinators in the four directions.

Staghorn sumac - Rhus hirta

Trying to count the individual flowers in a sumac tree panicle is like guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar.

Corn speedwell - Veronica arvensis

Zooming in on its beguiling azure flower tempers the offense of this Eurasian invader having, as one commentator puts it, "a special talent for finding the one disturbed spot in an otherwise perfect lawn."

Scarlet pimpernel - Anagallis arvensis

Another Eurasian species achieving global distribution on the coattails of human enterprise, this member of the primrose family has adapted to the coastal margin at Halibut Point.

Bracted plantain - Plantago aristata

In the arid gravels of the ocean overlook it's easy for sightseers to miss a lowly plant with subdued colors but dramatic bract structures surrounding each inflorescence. It exemplifies the microcosmic discoveries tucked beside panoramas.