Gilia tricolor (Bird’s-Eyes)

Native only to California, this annual herb grows in meadows, grasslands and foothill woodlands. It reaches about eighteen inches tall, with finely divided foliage and fragrant, saucer-shaped flowers. The pale violet to white flower lobes surround a dark purple ring and a yellow or orange throat, with five projecting stamens bearing powder-blue pollen. Flowering occurs in spring and early summer. Bees pollinate the flowers, transferring pollen both between plants and between flowers on the same plant. Cultivated beyond its native range, it is frequently included in ornamental wildflower seed mixtures. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.