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Golden Larkspur
Delphinium luteum
1998
In Delphinium the male parts mature first as the anthers are here. The pollen gets spread around and after a few days, the stigma becomes receptive. The stigma is not yet visible on this flower; however, the older flowers of this plant would be functionally female and the younger ones male. The bees start at the bottom of the stem and work their way up spreading pollen they are carrying from a previous flower to the now-receptive stigma. As they reach the higher flowers, they get new pollen in their hairs which is carried to another plant where the same process is repeated. Luteum means yellow.
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