A close-up picture of Foothill Penstemon, Penstemon heterophyllus, surrounded by the foliage of what is very likely to be Japanese Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica. The large, 1-inch flowers are held aloft on the short flowering spikes of an unassuming plant with narrow green stems and leaves, which are visible, but dwarfed by the honeysuckle leaves. Within the vivid purple flowers are several white stamens, some curling along the bottom of the corolla and some along the top, numbering five, but not all are visible from the angle of the photograph. The anthers appear to also be purple along the edges, but yellow pollen is visible spilled under one.

I wasn't sure what to post today, until I saw this photograph I captured which shows nearly all 5 stamens of a penstemon. I think that's pretty cool, so let's talk about Foothill Penstemon today 🧵

#photography #penstemon #heterophyllus #xeriscaping #wildflower #california #garden #bloomscrolling