Silene coronaria

Native from central and southeastern Europe to northern Iran, Central Asia and the western Himalayas, this biennial or short-lived perennial herb has silvery-green leaves and stems covered with white woolly hairs. Summer flowers are usually magenta, with white, rose and pink cultivars also available. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers. It tolerates drought and poor soil, readily self-seeds, and has naturalized in North Carolina. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.