May 28, 2010
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
This has been an excellent year for the flowering of these native shrubs, many of which have been planted in restoration areas of the Reservation. The flowers are unique both in their general shape and in the way in which they disseminate their pollen. The anthers (pollen-producing male reproductive structures), each one at the tip of a filament, are held under tension in indentations around the rim. When an insect (or a curious person with a tiny twig) brushes against the bent filament, the anther is released and the filament springs back, flinging pollen around. An unsuspecting insect will then carry the pollen to another flower, thereby fertilizing it.