Countdown to Spring 2012 – Vernal Equinox

Spring is finally here! And now for the final Colorado wildflower in this year’s Countdown to Spring series:

With its unmistakable head, ears, and trunk, there is no doubt where the Little Pink Elephant (Pedicularis groenlandica) got its common name. This plant generally grows in vast herds in boggy sub-alpine meadows.

Little Pink Elephant is a root parasite, meaning it draws nutrients from the roots of nearby plants by piercing them with an appendage called a haustorium. The Cheyenne tribe used the leaves of this plant as an infusion to relieve coughs.

Little Pink Elephants, Blue Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, August 2011

Little Pink Elephants, Blue Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, August 2011

And that’s it for the Countdown to Spring 2012 series. I hope you’ve enjoyed it!