Orange hawkweed

Description:

It is a low-growing plant with shallow fibrous roots and a basal rosette of elliptical to lanceolate leaves. All parts of the plant exude a milky juice. The flowering stem is usually leafless or with just one or two small leaves. The stems may reach a height of 60 cm and have 2–25 flowerheads, bundled together at the end of short pedicels. The flowers are orange, almost red, which is virtually invisible to bees, yet they also reflect ultraviolet light, increasing their conspicuousness to pollinators. The flowers are visited by various insects, specifically Musca flies. The flowers themselves come in a range of colors from a deep rust-orange to a pure yellow and often show striking gradients of color.

Habitat:

Silsombos, Belgium.