Larkspur

One of my favorite flowering plants has to be the larkspur.  The flowers unfurl along a long, sinewy stalk, which gracefully curves and bends upwards to the sun.  Each flower along the stalk opens one at a time, from the bottom of the stem to the top, so that looking at the whole, you can see the entire progression from bud (still at the top) to full bloom (at the bottom).  The colors, too, follow some sort of progression, from the palest cerulean blue at the tip, to deep, shimery blueish purple further down.  And those blossoms!  Ever look at one closely?  It reminds me of a snapdragon, but more angular.  The inner petals curve in on themselves and enclose the stamen, all loaded with bright yellow pollen. Any bumble bee or butterfly that gets trapped in there looking for nectar is going to get a pollen shower, like it or not! At the back of the bloom, a long, green spur juts out, in true larkspur fashion.  It is surprisingly stiff and rubbery.  I suppose it serves some reproductive function, but I think it makes the flower so balanced and beautiful.  The delphinium (it's scientific name) is a relative of the buttercup but is very toxic. 'Delphinium' comes from the Latin word for dolphin, alluding to the shape of the opening flower... isn't that cool?