Hey! I spotted this flower (or rather a field of them) on Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island. I have a tough time identifying small plants. Any suggestions appreciated! John
My immediate thought on seeing this bloom was Evening Primrose (Onethera Species). Looks a bit like our native version Clarkia amoena.
Thanks Gordo! A bit of internet seaching has turned up Clarkia rubicunda which looks much more like my flower but I don't know if the range overlaps. Most of the cases of Clarkia amoena I've seen seem to have bright color splotches on the pedals and mine seem quite plain. Thanks again for the pointer! John
Clarkia rubicunda is strictly Californian (and endemic to a relatively small area). Clarkia amoena has a lot of variability in colour, ranging from "petals pink to rose-purple, red-spotted or -marked near centre, egg- to fan-shaped" according to the Illustrated Flora of BC account. I'd go with that.
When trying to identify plants from pictures you must follow up with reading descriptions to confirm that plant that looks similar in photo really is the same one.
