Cardinal Flower

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Meet Lobelia cardinalis - the Cardinal Flower - a member of the Bellflower family.

Now that the waters have retreated from the banks of Silver Creek this striking native plant has begun to flower in the shaded reaches of the low, wet habitat.  You can't miss it as it's quite spectacular with its tall spiked flowers reaching for a bit of sunlight amidst the shade.  The bright deep-red color is associated with the red adornments warn by Roman Catholic cardinals.  Hence the name.

While you can grow this plant in a garden (we did two houses ago) the roots have to be kept wet - not an easy thing to do.  Furthermore, reproduction is difficult as it relies upon hummingbirds for pollination.