Pretty Shooting Star

Left image
Close up of pink Pretty Shooting Star flower with a fly on it.

Right image
Meadow of pink Pretty Shooting Star flowers.

Pretty Shooting Star - Dodecatheon pulchellum

A member of the Primrose family, Pretty Shooting Star is always found in wet meadows, along streams, or around seeps. Its dark pink color, sweptback petals, and stamens united into a pointed tip make it resemble a fireworks display, appropriate for a plant that is often in flower in the high country around the 4th of July.

Bees grab the flowers, buzz loudly, and the vibrations cause the anthers to release their pollen which the bees use for food. Pretty Shooting Star has a wide distribution in the western United States from Alaska and the Yukon south to Mexico. There are a number of related species including one found in the deciduous forests of the eastern United States.